


Balanced Equation

by andrewM



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alchemist Midoriya Izuku, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki is a Good Friend, Body Horror, Body Modification, Crossover, Dead Midoriya Inko, Disabled Midoriya Izuku, Gen, Jealous Bakugou Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku is a Little Shit, Quirk Discrimination (My Hero Academia), Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Smart Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 43,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27374743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrewM/pseuds/andrewM
Summary: Izuku's life was shattered when he was diagnosed as quirkless. It was the end of the world, until he discovered the books in his fathers study, until he read about a power thought forgotten in this world. It is a power that would let him become a hero.However, he also learns the fundamental truth about this new power. The equation must be balanced. To give is to take, like with like. The toll comes due, but will Izuku be ready to pay it?
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Class 1-A & Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Inko & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako
Comments: 203
Kudos: 409





	1. Who is he?

_In the past…_

“Alchemy. The science of understanding, deconstructing and reconstructing matter.”

Izuku read these words in a book. He loved learning. He absorbed every piece of information that he could like a sponge. He could rattle off the details of every hero he saw on the news, happily babble away about every little thing they did at school. He took it all in, because he loved learning so much.

So when he saw the books in his daddy’s study, he just had to read them.

They hadn’t been anything like the books he’d read before. The words were hard. It wasn’t written to explain like the books they had at school, but they weren’t boring like the big heavy books Auntie Mitsuki had under the coffee table. It captured his interest like only heroes had before. Every page was like a puzzle, filled with words he didn’t quite understand, in combinations he hadn’t seen before, and highlighting diagrams and concepts which he couldn’t even fathom. If he were any less patient than he was, if he was more like some of the other kids at his preschool, he’d have slammed the books shut with a groan, but Izuku didn’t. These books were a challenge! Izuku liked a challenge.

Izuku wasn’t sure how long he spent there, lying on his stomach in Daddy’s study reading the big books. He had his own notebook beside him where he tried rewriting things in his own way. He’d even managed to find a dictionary somewhere for any new words he needed. Kacchan wasn’t here so his All Might toy would be his sounding board.

“The circle is used to connect the energy within to the energy without,” Izuku read aloud, “but what does that mean? Is the energy within like when Mama tells me to eat so I can run around and play? But then what’s the energy without? Is it like a quirk?”

All Might didn’t talk back to him because he was just a toy, but Izuku liked to imagine that he’d agree with his questions. All Might was such a good hero, he’d be able to figure this out no problem! Speaking of All Might, Izuku glanced up and caught sight of the clock on the wall. Glee rushed through him when he realised what time it was. All thoughts of circles and energy was forgotten as he ran from the room, All Might clutched tightly in his hand, only stopping to peek around the door.

Mama was tidying up from dinner, drying off the last few bowls before putting them away. She always told him that he needed to wait until she was finished, but she was basically done now. He bounded over to her, hopping slightly in his excitement.

“Come on Mama! It’s computer time!”

Mama looked down at him, somehow nowhere near as excited as he was.

“Oh? It’s that time already?”

Izuku nodded vigorously, smile a mile wide. Mama took a moment to smile back at him.

“Go on then. I’ll just dry my hands,” she said.

Izuku laughed and ran off. He made it down the corridor and into Mama’s room while she shook her head fondly. By the time she got there, he was rocking back and forth in his chair in anticipation. He knew Mama didn’t like this video but Izuku loved it! It was All Might swooping in to save the day with that bright big smile of his. The way he kept smiling despite the carnage around him, the way his booming voice carried all over the place and those words!

“Hope has arrived, because I am here!”

Those words filled Izuku with a happiness that he couldn’t imagine ever being rivalled. They inspired his dream, because as young as he was, he already knew exactly what he was going to be when he grew up big and strong. He was going to save people and be just like All Might!

“When I get my quirk, I’m gonna be just like him!”

It had to come soon. Kacchan got his quirk a month ago. It was so cool how he’d stood there at pre-school, surrounded by his classmates and teachers, while little pops and flashes went off in his hands. Kacchan had been so happy, and that made Izuku happy. Maybe they’d both went a little overboard with their experiments when they got home that day, but who could blame them? Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru just didn’t understand! This was the first step towards them being awesome heroes together. Now all Izuku had to do was wait for his own quirk to come in and they’d be all set!

They’d be heroes and save everyone!

_In the present…_

Here it was, UA high school. Any one who was any one wanted to go here, and Ochaco certainly was someone. With any luck, just beyond these gates lay her entire future. Unfortunately, that thought brought back all the nerves she’d tried so hard to swallow down. She’d worked so hard to get here. Nerves wouldn’t be what ruined it for her!

Getting to the entrance exam had already been stressful enough. It was too far away to easily do there and back in a day. Ochaco would need to wake up super early to get there on time, which wouldn’t do anything for her performance, and by the time she got back afterwards it’d be super late. That meant she had to find somewhere to stay overnight. If she was a bit more secure financially, that wouldn’t be a problem. Luckily, and this was about the only good thing about this fact, given the number of applicants, Ochaco wasn’t the only one having to find accommodation. It hadn’t been super hard to find someone to go half on a reasonably cheap room in a hostel. Her room mate had been nice company last night and they wished each other luck this morning.

The closer she got to that arched entranceway, the more she had to tell herself that she deserved her chance to take this exam, just like everyone else. Money problems be damned, that didn’t matter when it came to being a hero. Ochaco had practised so much with her quirk. She’d give it her all! If she passed then her future was set. If she failed … she couldn't bear thinking about it.

Being inside the grounds only served to make the school look bigger somehow. Not wanting to go the wrong way, Ochaco followed a blonde, spiky haired kid in a black middle school uniform. He was walking with a short, green haired underclassman. She thought it was nice that he was supporting his peer. At least that’s what she thought he was doing because it looked like they were bickering.

“Laser glare would still be better than you!”

The green kid chuckled and she missed what he said after. From the small smile on his face and how the blonde didn’t seem as tense, she guessed they weren’t actually arguing. It was way too familiar. Were they cousins? Biology wasn’t her strongest subject, but she had no idea what combination of hair colour would be needed for blonde hair to related to green hair. Then again, in this quirky world, odd hair colours weren’t the weirdest thing you could develop.

As she made to pass them, more confident with where she was going, the green haired kid lightly shoved the blonde, causing the blonde to push back harder. There must have been an uneven step because the boy went from laughing along to tipping forward. Ochaco moved on instinct, reaching out and pressing her fingers against the underclassman. He hung in the air for a moment. The sudden lack of gravity must have caught him by surprise because he didn’t even try to move.

“Sorry! I know I should have asked if I could use my quirk, but I didn’t want you to hurt yourself from the fall,” Ochaco said.

She helped right the boy and released her quirk. The blonde’s eyes passed over her with a calculating gaze while the other thanked her with an easy smile.

“Don’t worry about the quirk thing. My name’s Izuku Midoriya. Best of luck in your exam today!”

“Thank you!” Ochaco said, returning the smile just as easily, “I appreciate the support. I’m sure your upperclassman does too.”

There was a brief moment as her words passed over the two. When they had, Ochaco saw something clearly twitch in Midoriya’s face. At the same time, the blonde boy burst out in loud laughter. What was so funny?

“I’m taking the same high school exam that you are,” Midoriya said.

His voice was slightly strained, and she could tell the calm on his face was very forced. The blonde only laughed louder. Ochaco’s eyes widened as her face burned with embarrassment. This boy was the same age as her, taking the same exam as her, and she’d just assumed he was an underclassman because he was so short. He was even shorter than her!

“I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!” she frantically apologised, waving her hands in front of her before bowing deeply.

“Don’t worry about it,” Midoriya said.

He didn’t look as annoyed now that she’d apologised. The blonde’s laughter died down and he wiped a tear from his eye.

“She thought you were an underclassman because you’re so short, pipsqueak!” he said, laughter beginning again.

“Who’re you calling pipsqueak, you barking Pomeranian!” Midoriya shot back, “you better hope I’m nowhere near you in the exam or I’ll kick your ass!”

The two walked away, trading loud insults with each other as they went. Ochaco stood there, too stunned and embarrassed to move. Part of her hoped that she wasn’t going to be in a class with either of those two, because she was never going to live this down.

Tenya knew that he was not like his brother. His brother was kind and noble, a truly fine example of all the virtues of heroism. He was proud to have been able to look up to him as he had growing up. He still looked up to him now, but that didn’t mean that Tenya was like him. A hero should be able to admit to his shortcomings. Tenya wished to be like his brother, but he wasn’t there yet.

That is why he wished to attend UA, so that one day he would be.

He’d been recommended, of course. Tenya had been honoured to accept the offer from his brother, but he wasn’t so arrogant to assume he’d get in that way. The acceptance rate was, if anything, lower for recommendation students than for the general exam. Indeed, there had been many strong showings at the recommendation exam and Tenya had unfortunately not made the cut. While it stung, he had applied for the general exam as well. He was sure he’d get in. Tensei had faith in him.

Arriving early, Tenya was already well situated by the time the written test began. Months and months of studying had led to what he believed to have been a good performance. He joined his fellow examinees in the auditorium to await further instructions. There was a low level of chatter, which was fine. Most were being respectful enough as they discussed their performance with school classmates, or else wondered aloud what the practical was going to be like. Tenya scanned through the provided literature, hoping to get a good feel for it before the official explanations.

Said explanations came in the form of the pro hero Present Mic. He did an adequate job of explaining the particulars of the exam, but Tenya couldn’t help but be distracted. Whenever there was a lull in Present Mic’s loud speech, he couldn’t help but notice a strange muttering noise. Tenya scanned his row and the rows in front of him but saw no one speaking. Twisting around, he tried to find whoever it was while still keeping his focus on the hero.

There it was!

Tenya could admit that he was shocked. What on Earth was an underclassman doing here? Next to a boy with spiky blonde hair was a small boy with long green hair. While he was in the same uniform as the blonde, it was obvious that the boy was significantly younger than his peer, and he was the one who was muttering. His eyes kept flitting about the place, all the while he kept up a stream of muttering. Occasionally it would get louder, at which point his upperclassman would nudge him and he’d quieten down.

How dare he sneak into an important exam for his upperclassman and attempt to distract everyone!

Tenya turned back to the front, considering what he should do about it. He didn’t want to interrupt, but if he got the chance then he would take it. This kind of sabotage would not stand!

Fortunately his chance came sooner than expected.

“Any questions so far!” Present Mic called to the students and Tenya’s hand immediately shot up.

“You have only discussed three types of faux villains but on the hand outs there are four listed. If this is an error on official UA literature, then given the prestigious nature of this fine school, it is shameful.”

Everything he said was true! UA expected high standards of its students so of course Tenya would expect the same in return. He was about to leave it there, but then he realised that the muttering hadn’t stopped. What’s more, he’s sure he heard something which sounded like a scoff. That was all Tenya needed to whip around and level a finger at the boy. Underclassman or not, his behaviour was disgraceful.

“You, with the green hair! This is an important exam for third year students only! To try and distract your upperclassmen with your incessant mumbling is unacceptable and you should leave now!”

He expected many things when he said his piece. What he did not expect was for the blonde next to him to burst out laughing. The green haired boy scowled at him and dug an elbow into the blonde’s side, shutting him up.

“Get off your high horse. I _am_ a third year. Don’t be so judgemental!” he shot back at Tenya.

Tenya felt the winds of his righteous fury drop, but no matter! Third year or not, this boy was still being a distraction.

“Be that as it may, you are still being a distraction to your fellow students sitting near you,” Tenya said.

“Says you who interrupted this entire presentation to give your own personal lecture. Comparing us, I'd say you win as a bigger distraction!”

“ANYWAY, that is an excellent question!” Present Mic said, calling attention back to him.

When he finished explaining the fourth faux villain, Tenya thanked him, bowed and sat back down. That hadn’t gone as intended. Instead of rightly condemning the poor behaviour of another attendee, Tenya had instead been exposed for his own. Tensei wouldn’t have reacted like that, he thought. The shame he imagined from his brother wasn’t pleasant.

He was only following the rules. That would be his job as a hero. He knew he wasn’t like his brother yet, but at least now he knew one area he could work on. To be able to uphold the rules for others, he must first follow them himself.

Yuga knew his limits. He knew that his quirk took a toll on him, that his body wasn’t entirely suited to handling it, but in his opinion he more than made up for it with his dazzling personality. When he arrived onto a scene, villains would be too busy staring at his magnificent display to even think about hurting any bystanders. With his powerful laser, he’d be able to take them down in an effective, and most importantly a stylish, way.  
He just needed to pass this exam.

At the very least he was putting on a good show. It was difficult to look elsewhere when he let loose his navel laser. Yuga had even caught sight of a couple of cameras and couldn’t help but pose for them. It was definitely making a good impression on the judges!

Blast as many villains as he could in ten minutes? His quirk was made for something like this. It was more than enough time before his quirk got too much to handle, so long as he kept the time of each blast as short as possible. He could do this! He already had 30 points and there was still 5 minutes left! Sure his stomach was starting to ache, but as a hero he would have to power through it. At UA, he’d learn how to be the most dazzling hero the world has ever seen!

Yuga blasted a three pointer. Taking a second to catch his breath, he looked around for any more robots. Around him was quiet so he ran off to find more. In the distance he heard the sounds of other examinees fighting, so he tried steering clear of the main rush. As he rounded a corner, a two pointer came into view. It was about 10 metres away. Not an impossible shot, Yuga thought, but worth it to show off how good he was at aiming something that came from his belly button.

The two pointer only just turned to look at him as he unleashed his laser. It hit its target, exactly as aimed, but Yuga felt a pain in his stomach. Perhaps the robot had been too far away and he’d been forced to hold his laser for just a bit too long. The painful twinge went away in only a moment, but it left behind an ache telling Yuga he needed to be careful. There’s still five minutes left, he can do this!

“Target acquired!”

The robotic voice suddenly appearing behind him was a shock, and if Yuga wasn’t on camera then he probably would have reacted a lot less gracefully as he did. He turned and saw the imposing figure of a three pointer. Its red eyes locked onto him as it charged its weapons. Yuga couldn’t turn and brace quickly enough, and the twinge in his stomach told him he needed another moment to recover.

He made to leap back, get some distance, but his foot caught a crack in the road which sent Yuga sprawling, not graceful at all. The three pointer advanced further, the guns on its back narrowing onto him. Yuga only had a second to think that it might actually shoot him when a clap echoed loudly around him. From the ground beneath the robot, sharp spikes of concrete erupted, surrounded by crackling blue energy. They pierced the three pointer, destroying it.

Yuga heard footsteps and a short boy with curly green hair appeared from behind the zero pointer. He recognised him as the one that was called out during the intro presentation. He was wearing a long sleeved tracksuit top and pants. A single green stripe ran down the centre of the tracksuit top and down the side of each leg. He also wore white gloves. The boy looked at Yuga with the most vivid green eyes he’d ever seen.

“You ok?” the boy asked.

“Y-yes, thank you!” Yuga replied, striking a small pose as he regained his composure.

The boy raised an eyebrow at him before glancing down street. Yuga twisted around and saw a two pointer and a one pointer arrive, though they hadn’t spotted them yet.

“Best of luck with the rest of the test,” the boy said before clapping his hands together.

Blue energy crackled around his hands and when he held his palms over the ground, the energy flowed into it. The concrete was sucked to a narrow point, forming a small crater in the ground as the boy pulled a pole out of the material. Yuga had no idea how he did that, but he masked it when he saw the finished product. It was spear, but the pointed end was ornately decorated. It was far more elegant than what Yuga had expected. The boy charged the two robots without fear and Yuga took this time to catch his breath.

There was more than enough time left for him to shine.

An almighty crash echoed across the test arena as the ground shook. From between the tall buildings, a giant robot appeared, staring down at the test takers below. The graphic in the test instructions completely misrepresented how big the zero pointer was, though now everyone understood what Present Mic said about this being merely an obstacle. They were all glad that there was only one.

Like those around her, Ochaco couldn’t help but freeze when she saw it. Were they expected to fight that thing! No, that wasn’t it. Present Mic said they should avoid it. Around her, the other test takers were starting to run away. Ochaco made to join them when a wave of nausea passed over her. Before the madness of the zero pointers release, Ochaco had managed to use her quirk on two three pointers at the same time. In the chaos, she’d let them go with a crash, but the effect was only hitting her now. Present Mic announced two minutes were left, which steeled Ochaco’s nerves.  
Nausea or not, zero pointer or not, she would do her best!

That was all well and good, but she didn’t account for the zero pointer turning its attention to the street she was in. With a lumbering swing of its fist, it smashed through the buildings near her. Those who hadn’t already started ran as fast as they could, Ochaco with them. A strong rumble made her stumble slightly, only for something heavy and solid to land on her leg. Ochaco went sprawling as she cried out in pain.

The dust settled, though she could hear the zero pointer beginning to move again. Ahead of her, she could see the other test takers running away. They were leaving her here! Her ankle kept throbbing painfully, the heavy weight pressing down on it. When she twisted around, Ochaco saw her leg was pinned beneath the rubble.

This was fine! Her quirk could make the concrete weightless! It would be no problem to get herself out of there!

The zero pointer was definitely moving slowly towards her. Ochaco reached behind her, positive thoughts still bouncing around her head as her hand got close to the rubble.

Only she couldn’t reach.

She tried again, and again, and again. Her panic rose each time she tried and failed to reach the concrete pinning her. As much as she tried, she couldn’t twist herself around enough to get there. A loud footstep from the zero pointer brought tears to her eyes. She’d tried so hard! This couldn’t be how her test ended! A cry for help died in her throat as she remembered everyone running away. They were just teenagers like her. Of course they would run away, but surely the teachers, they would help. They’re pro heroes, they wouldn’t just leave her!

“Hey!”

The voice cut through her panic and she whipped around. Running towards her was the green haired boy, Midoriya, that she’d accidentally insulted outside the school before the test. He was now dressed in a black tracksuit with white gloves, but more importantly, he was running right towards her. When he got close enough, he clapped his hands together before slamming them into the ground. She wasn’t sure what he was doing before blue sparks of energy danced around the rubble on her leg. The load lightened as the concrete was lifted off of her by pillars that looked like they were growing from the ground itself.

Before Ochaco could question it, Midoriya appeared by her side.

“Where does it hurt?” Midoriya asked.

“J-Just my leg. I think I sprained my ankle or something,” Ochaco said.

The slam of the zero pointer approaching them rumbled through the floor.

“Do you mind if I pick you up?” Midoriya asked.

Ochaco nodded. Midoriya scooped her up bridal style, and Ochaco couldn’t help but be impressed that he did so easily. He ran with her down the street, away from the giant robot. The rumbling footsteps seemed to speed up slightly. Midoriya glanced behind him and cursed under his breath. Next thing Ochaco knew, she was being put down and Midoriya was running back at the giant robot.

He clapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground again. This time, a giant pillar of concrete erupted from beneath him. It threw him up into the air, and he twisted just in time to slip between the reaching fingers of the zero pointer. Ochaco watched as Midoriya landed on the robots arm, before blue sparks of energy spread all over it. The zero pointer shuddered in its motion. With a flash as the sparks reached the head, the robots eyes exploded outwards and it stopped moving entirely.

Silence fell over the test arena. Ochaco could tell that some of the other examinees had returned to see what was going on. Midoriya slid down the length of the zero pointers arm, jumping off with a flip to land safely on the ground.

“What the hell was that?”

“Did he just beat that big zero pointer?”

The voices carried until they reached Midoriya. The green haired boy wiped sweat from his brow before turning to face everyone. Judging how his eyes widened, Ochaco guessed he hadn’t expected people to have seen what he did. The slowly gathering crowd’s murmurs got louder and louder, but Ochaco paid them no mind.

This boy, who looked so young, who Ochaco had unintentionally insulted, who was called out in front of everyone in the auditorium. Others in the test arena had pointed him out before the test began, saying how a small fry like him would never be able to manage the test. She’d seen how those comments annoyed him, but still, he was the only one who came to help her, potentially sacrificing his own place at UA to do so. He faced down the zero pointer and won so that it wouldn’t hurt anyone else, and obviously didn’t expect anyone to really notice. As Present Mic’s voice called over all the test arenas, announcing the end of the exam, Ochaco was left with only one thought.

Just who was Izuku Midoriya?


	2. A power anyone can learn

_In the past…_

Izuku was so excited! Everyone else at school was getting their quirks and soon, Izuku would get his. He hoped at least. It was taking a lot longer than everyone else’s and they were starting to look at him funny. Kacchan was even frowning at him more and kept demanding to know when he’d get his quirk. Izuku kept wishing and hoping it would come in so that he could have what everyone else had. He wanted to be able to go into school and show it off to everyone, to have everyone gush over him for a little while like they’d done for his classmates.

Mostly he just wanted it to come in so he could figure out how to be a hero with it.

When it continued to not come, Mama reassured him that not all quirks had outward appearances, but that they’d go to the doctor to see what his quirk was. That promise carried Izuku through that school day and now he was sitting next to his mother on the train, on the way to his appointment, basically bouncing in his seat.

There were so many different possibilities for what his quirk could be! Mama had a minor telekinetic quirk. From what he’d read, minor quirks had the greatest possibility to vary when inherited by a child, so his could be anything from being able to push instead of pull, or he could do both. It could be weaker like Mama’s or it could be super strong like Kacchan! He wouldn’t mind. He knew he could be a hero with it either way. He didn’t know what his dads quirk was, but it mustn’t have been important or Mama would have told him.

The excitement carried Izuku right into the doctors office. He flew his All Might figure around and around, babbling away happily about how cool he was. The nurse behind the desk kept smiling at him warmly. When his name was called, he was up like a shot, basically dragging his mother into the office so they could run some tests. The doctor seemed nice enough as Mama told him some things. He didn’t seem to mind when Izuku talked about All Might and heroes while they did the tests. Honestly, Izuku didn’t really remember much about the appointment, because everything else was completely overshadowed by what the doctor said next.

“Sorry kid, it’s not gonna happen.”

Izuku froze, right down to his core. He didn’t even register dropping All Might because those words were still echoing in his mind. Not gonna happen? What did he mean?

“Is something wrong?” Mama asked.

“If I may ask, what is your quirk ma’am?”

“Oh, I can attract small objects to me. It’s useful enough I suppose,” Mama said, pulling All Might to her from the floor.

“And the boys father?”

“I’m not sure. He said something about energy stockpiling, but he never went into specifics. He never used it as far as I could tell.”

“So not a strong quirk if you never saw him use it,” the doctor mused, “then that explains this result.”

“What do you mean?” Mama asked.

“We’re about 500 hundred years since quirks first started appearing. Despite the initial chaos, there’s been a lot of research done into quirks in that time. While they’re still mostly mysterious, one thing we know for certain is that weaker quirks have a greater chance of variation than stronger ones. If two weak quirks come together, the child can either show one of them, both of them, or in this case, because of the greater variability, show neither. It’s very rare these days, but it happens.”

The doctor pressed a button and a display on the wall next to him lit up. On it were pictures showing the bones in the foot.

“Quirks manifest using the energy of the body. If there is no quirk present, then the body has more energy to produce body parts which used to be common place. One of these which is easily tested for is a second joint in the pinky toe. As you can see, your son has this second joint.”

“I’m very sorry to have to tell you this, but there is very little chance that your son will develop a quirk,” the doctor finished.

“Oh my,” Mama said quietly.

That entire conversation passed over Izuku’s head, only registering in his mind as dull background noise. All Izuku really heard was ‘not gonna happen’ and ‘little chance to develop a quirk’.

But he had to develop a quirk! He had to! Heroes had quirks! Everyone at school had quirks! Why didn’t Izuku have one? Why did he have to be different? His initial excitement of going to the doctor was replaced by a deep empty pit. The nurse at the desk looked very concerned when the happy child going into the office was replaced by the emotionless child coming out.

Time seemed to pass by weirdly after that. Izuku vaguely registered going home, but it was only when Mama tucked him into bed that things seemed to register. It all hit him at once as he curled up beneath his All Might themed covers. He didn’t have a quirk! Could he still be a hero without one? Surely it was possible, right? If Izuku could come up with a plan to be a hero with even a weak quirk, then he must be able to do the same for being quirkless!

Right?

School the next day was rough. Everyone in class saw how upset he was but the teachers must have been told something because they shepherded everyone away. When Kacchan tried asking what was wrong, they shushed him and started the lesson of the day, leaving Izuku reeling by the coat hooks.

Izuku could barely function that day, so when his classmate Sachiko burst into the room just before lunch with a doctors note to excuse her absence and an enormous smile on her face, he couldn’t bring himself to be happy for her.

“I got my quirk!” Sachiko announced to the class.

Izuku felt a stab of longing as everyone crowded around her, overseen by the two teachers who asked her questions.

“I can pull in heat around me to warm up and push out heat to cool down!” Sachiko seemed so excited that it finally came in.

The teachers gave her some encouraging words. Izuku wanted to be happy for her, he did, but it was hard to get around the emptiness he felt inside. He could find a way to be a hero with a quirk like hers, but he couldn’t, because he didn’t have her quirk. He didn’t have any quirk! The small hope he’d had the night before waned every time he heard someone talk about quirks, when Kacchan was asked to demonstrate his quirk to everyone _again_ while he threw Izuku confused glances.

In her happiness, Sachiko saw no issue with bounding over to Izuku.

“Hey Izuku, you went to the doctors yesterday to find out your quirk. What did he tell you?”

That was the question that Izuku didn’t want to answer, so he froze up. The emptiness swallowed him whole so he didn’t notice when the teachers ushered Sachiko away, telling her to leave him alone.

By afternoon break, the whispers started.

“I heard the teachers talking about Izuku.”

“Yeah they said he’s quirkless.”

“Is that even possible? Everyone has quirks!”

“What a loser!”

“Only someone pathetic doesn’t have a quirk, that’s what my mom says.”

“No way someone as weak as him will be a hero!”

The whispers got worse and worse, some of them outright saying these things to his face. Izuku wanted to react, to tell them off for saying mean things, but nothing came out. The words died before they could even get to his throat, let alone his mouth. Izuku sat beneath his favourite tree in the playground while the rumours spread around him. Kacchan usually came over to talk to him, or drag him into a game of something, but he just kept looking at him confused. The one time he’d tried walking over, a teacher had called him away and whispered something to him.

It wasn’t a happy day at school.

When he got home, he immediately went to his room. He knew this would worry Mama, but he didn’t really want to talk to her right now. All he did was find his favourite All Might blanket and ask to watch the video again. Mama let him.

The room grew darker and darker as Izuku watched All Might rescuing hundreds of people with a fearless smile. Hope arrived to those people because All Might was there, but where was Izuku’s hope? All he wanted was to be like All Might, but was that still possible?

The door to the room opened quietly. Mama called his name but Izuku didn’t react. Mama waited, but before she could leave, Izuku spoke.

“He always saves people. It doesn’t matter how bad things get, he’ll always dive right in and give people hope. He’s strong enough that he can still smile even when things are bad. I just want to be like him”

He turned the chair, finally seeing his mother standing by the door. Tears filled his eyes as he pointed to All Might on the screen.

“Do you think I can be a hero too?”

Mama choked on a sob as she rushed over to pull him into her arms.

“I’m so sorry Izuku. I’m so sorry!” she cried.

Deep down, a part of Izuku knew what she was trying to say. She was sorry that he didn’t have a quirk when he so desperately wanted one, sorry that for whatever reason, she couldn’t give him one, but that wasn’t what he heard. All he heard was that she was sorry he couldn’t be a hero.

Fortunately, he only had to endure one more day of loneliness at school before it was the weekend. It was one more day of hearing comments from his classmates, and the teachers looking at him with pity, telling the rest of the children that he needed time alone to come to terms with what must have been bad news. It was bad news, and Izuku was struggling to come to terms with it, but he just wanted someone to talk to! Kacchan tried, but the teachers stopped him every time. By the time school ended, the blonde boy looked annoyed at everyone and Izuku couldn’t blame him.

“Izuku, I need to pick some things up from the pharmacy. Do you want to come with me?” Mama asked.

Izuku looked up from where he was sitting on the floor in his bedroom. His toys were all around him but he had no motivation to do anything with them. They were all heroes and Izuku couldn’t help but feel mocked by them. Mama was waiting for his answer, so he shook his head. No, he didn’t want to go out there and get more of the pitying looks he’d been getting from adults everywhere!

“Ok,” Mama said, sounding unsure, “I’ll be back soon. You know the rules for when you’re home alone.”

Don’t answer the phone. Don’t answer the door. Don’t touch the kitchen appliances. Clean up his messes. He knew all of that, so he nodded to her again. Mama looked like she wanted to say something but she changed her mind. Izuku only moved when he heard the door close.

He was alone in the apartment, just like he’d been at school. Izuku wandered into and out of rooms aimlessly. What was he going to do? His classmates were right, weren’t they? He needed a quirk to be a hero. Even heroes with weaker quirks still had one. Someone like Sachiko could get creative and find a heroic use for a quirk like hers. Why did Izuku, someone who loved quirks and heroes more than anything, why did he have to be the one person in the world who didn’t have one?

Izuku stepped into his dads study. Between going to the doctor to find out his lack of quirk and the emptiness that came with it, Izuku hadn’t been inside this room. It was exactly as he’d left it, down to the books on the floor sitting next to his own notes. Izuku sank to the ground and started reading again.

_One of the core principles of alchemy is reconstruction. It makes up the second half of the equation, following deconstruction. Understanding both allows for understanding as a whole to take place._

The words were followed by a diagram of a circle. A pattern was drawn within the circle boundaries. Little notes annotated it, but Izuku didn’t entirely understand what they were getting at.

_A basic reconstruction circle takes the following shape. Note that this must be adapted to suit more complicated purposes, but for simple tasks it should suffice._

Izuku let the book drop. Even a simple quirk would let him do something. His classmates would let him dream as big as he liked if he could only prove he could so something! Picking the book back up, he tried to find where he was, but his eyes caught some words that made him pause on a different page.

_This is power that is, in theory, available to all as alchemy as a science can be learned by anyone._

An emotion flared up in Izuku that he didn’t often experience. It was so foreign, that it unnerved him a little. Reading those words, Izuku got angry. This book was lying, taunting him with a power he couldn’t have when he was so desperate to be just like everyone else. He slammed the book closed, and for good measure threw it down on the ground as he stormed from the room.

His rage carried him into the living room. How dare that book try and trick him into believing something that wasn’t real. Alchemy wasn’t real! It was just a made up science that people ages ago came up with because they wanted to believe the impossible could happen. Quirks were the only thing in this world that was truly impossible and Izuku was denied being a part of that!

CRASH

Izuku froze. Turning slowly, he was met with the sight of Mama’s decorative vase lying on the floor, smashed into pieces. He must have knocked into it during his angry pacing and not noticed it. Mama was going to be so mad at him! She loved that vase. Izuku hurried to fetch a brush, sweeping all the pieces together. They were mostly big enough but would he be able to glue them back together. Not that it would matter because Mama would still know what he did!

Izuku panicked, thinking about where the glue in the house was, when he remembered the passage in the book. His thoughts calmed down for a moment, if only so he could suppress a scoff. Why should he bother with a made up power?

But if it worked…

Mama did say he should clean up his messes.

Pushing down how most of his brain was telling him this was pointless and following the small sliver screaming at him to try, Izuku retrieved the book from the study along with a trusty black crayon. He knew from experience that he could easily wash this one off the floor if this didn’t end up working.

Izuku cleared an area of floor and carefully copied the circle from the book. When he was done with that, he swept the vase pieces into the circle. Rereading the section one last time to be sure he’d done everything right, Izuku took a deep breath and placed his hands against the circle.

Nothing happened.

Izuku wanted to cry. Of course this wouldn’t work. All it had done was get his hopes up. It was only a small voice at the back of his head which made him stop before he cleaned up the circle.

_Why do you think it didn’t work?_

The question came easily to him. It was one he asked himself many times when watching hero fights. What did the hero try that didn’t work? What did the villain try that didn’t work? Why didn’t it work?

So Izuku tried applying that to this. Why didn’t the stupid circle do as the book said it would? Flicking through the pages, he arrived close to the very beginning. He remembered reading this back when he’d first found the books in daddy’s study.

_The circle is used to connect the energy within to the energy without. It allows for the connection to be made in the flow of power._

He didn’t understand this when he read it before. Connecting the energy within to the energy without? The flow of power? It felt too hard for him, until he remembered school. Sachiko had a quirk that allowed her to direct heat, drawing it into herself from around her, or pushing it out from herself to her surroundings. It was control of the heat within herself and the heat outside herself, and connecting the two.

Izuku’s eyes widened. He needed to connect his energy to the energy in the surroundings using the circle. How exactly he should do that was still a mystery, but it was enough motivation to get him to place his hands back on the circle. This time, he closed his eyes and focused. He didn’t know if it would help, but he imagined a little fire inside him. It was burning hot and bright. If he could somehow put a little bit of it inside the circle, then he could let it spread out into the surroundings.

He focused on the image. He imagined taking a little bit of his fire and placing it within the circle. It was contained there, like an ember floating in the wind, until Izuku lowered his boundaries. The fire spread, expanding outwards beyond the circle. It suddenly grew brighter before rushing back. It collapsed into the centre of the circle, sending a thin stream of fire, hotter and brighter than what Izuku put in initially, right back at him. It hit his heart and Izuku felt warmth surge throughout his entire body. He opened his eyes as it reached his hands and the circle started glowing a bright blue. He cried out in shock but kept his hands in place.

“Izuku!”

Mama rushed into the room but Izuku remained focused on the circle. The vase pieces shone with light, coalescing together until everything, the circle and the pieces, stopped glowing. The rush of warmth stopped its flow but Izuku still felt its presence within him. In the centre of the circle, where before there had only been bits and pieces, was Mama’s vase as if it had never been broken.

“Izuku, what just happened?” Mama asked him.

Izuku looked up at her.

“I broke your vase, but I used daddy’s book and fixed it,” Izuku said.

“You did that?”

Mama knelt down in front of him, eyes wide with disbelief. Izuku nodded. It was like he used a quirk, but this wasn’t a quirk. This was something else entirely. This was … this was alchemy, something which even a quirkless loser like him could learn. It might not be entirely his own, but this was still a power he could have! A warmth completely unrelated to the alchemy he just performed filled his body. The emptiness of the last couple of days was filled with a determination and happiness he had missed having. A smile grew on his face until he was beaming at his mother.

“Mama, I can be a hero too!”

_In the present…_

The alarm went off at 6:30 in the morning. For most people that would be far too early, but for Izuku it was fine. The entrance exam started at 9am and he definitely wanted to be on time for it. As he sat up in his bed, the joints in his arm and leg creaked. The air in the room was cold, brought on by the February chill. The metal plates in contact with his skin ached slightly as he tried working out the stiffness in his joints. It worked to a point, but it still made squeaking noises so Izuku retrieved his maintenance kit from under his bed.

He began oiling his joints, as was his routine every morning. Never mind that the sound was sure to annoy Katsuki, the sound annoyed him. He already had enough reminders of what happened, he didn’t need another. Once his arm and leg were sufficiently oiled, Izuku stood and stretched properly. He worked out the aches from the cold and tightened a few bolts which he could feel coming loose. The stretching was enough to wake him up properly, so he went into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Over the years, he found that letting his hair grow out a little bit made it easier to manage, unlike the wild curls of his younger days. It was still curly on top but he could pull most of it back into a low ponytail or braid. He ignored the grey metal of his arm as he wove his hair into a braid at the back and took in the rest of his appearance. He still had the freckles his mother loved so much and his eyes were still as vividly green as ever. Everyone always seemed to comment on his eyes. For some reason they found the strong green colour fascinating. Izuku didn’t get it.

After getting dressed into his middle school uniform, he went downstairs to find Katsuki already eating breakfast. Without so much as a glance, the spiky blonde threw a heat pack at Izuku, who caught it with practised ease.

“I don’t want to have to listen to you complain about the cold!” Katsuki snapped.

“Good morning to you too, Kacchan,” Izuku said back.

“Good morning. Now get your ass some food! I will not wait for you,” Katsuki said.

Good to know I’m not the only one who’s nervous, Izuku thought as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. Normally one of them would make a proper breakfast, but today neither of them could stomach it. Katsuki would claim that cereal was quicker and he didn’t want to have to waste time and energy making something. Izuku would point out that’s a total lie and he’s just nervous about doing well. Katsuki would then explode something and chase him around the house until he got bored. Izuku knew this, because it happened last week when they were talking about the entrance exam.

The train ride was spent mostly in silence. There didn’t need to be any more words spoken about this. They’d both studied for months and practised endlessly to have a shot at getting into UA high school. It had been their dreams since they were kids. They’d get into UA and become awesome heroes together. There had been a few hiccups and life changing events that happened along the way, but that didn’t matter because here they were now. Izuku could almost laugh when he remembered there was a time he didn’t think he could do this. Almost, because he only wished it hadn’t cost him so much.

While neither of them were speaking, that didn’t mean that Izuku didn’t want to have a conversation. He could feel Katsuki’s glare getting harder and harder. As more people got on the train, whether they were third years like them or not, the atmosphere in the carriage got tenser and tenser. A few of the giants around them wished them well, only to look away when Katsuki turned his gaze on them. Further down the carriage, a gaggle of girls were talking loudly about how they think they’ll do in UA’s entrance exam. Izuku could see that the way they were talking about it was making Katsuki even more annoyed, so he was glad when one of them said they should get a good luck coffee and got off the train one stop early. Izuku let out a sigh of relief, only to remember that Katsuki was still glaring daggers. Small victories at least.

They weren’t alone in walking from the station to the school. Other teenagers in small groups as well as the occasional loner slowly made their way through the streets until the large building of UA High School came into view. If Izuku wasn’t walking with Katsuki, he might have taken the time to appreciate the view. Since he was though, he kept pace as the blonde didn’t stop. Katsuki only spared the school a glance as he continued on through the entrance arch. Izuku could see the tension in his shoulders and how hard his hands had been shoved into his pockets. Oh no, short fuse alarm sounding!

“First sight of the school of our dreams and he just grunts and keeps on walking,” Izuku commented lightly.

Was it smart to poke the sleeping bear that had bazookas for paws? Probably not. Would it wind Katsuki down by letting him engage in his favourite activity of yelling at Izuku? Absolutely. Would it mean Katsuki wouldn’t blow up at some point later? Um, outlook uncertain.

“I’m not in yet,” Katsuki said, a snarl just about appearing on his lips as they passed through the arch.

A student waiting just inside the grounds took one look at Katsuki and paled. Izuku saw Katsuki’s laser like glare aimed into the middle distance, and the poor kid happened to be in the general path. The student’s shuffling turned into a quick walk as he trembled and tried to get as far away from Katsuki as he could.

Izuku couldn’t help but snort.

“What’s so funny nerd!”

“Nothing, just are you sure your quirks Explosion? Because from what I’m seeing it looks more like laser glare,” Izuku said.

“Glare! How about I show you my explosions so you can make certain what my quirk is!” Katsuki turned said glare on him.

If Izuku wasn’t so desensitised to them at this point, it probably would have been scary.

“Jeez! Look away! You could melt steel with those things,” Izuku said, leaning away from Katsuki’s gaze.

“Really? Then I guess you’ll have to shut up before I turn them up to max!” Katsuki yelled, but Izuku caught the way his lip turned up ever so slightly.

Yep, tension was definitely less than what it was. Mission accomplished!

“Brilliant! Now that you’ve agreed, I’ll just need your signature for this quirk application paperwork...”.

Katsuki groaned.

“My quirk’s not laser glare!”

“Don’t be sad Kacchan. Not all quirks are flashy you know. I’m sure laser glare will be a great quirk for a hero.”

“Laser glare would still be better than you!” Katsuki yelled.

“Well it’s not exactly hard to have a better quirk than me,” Izuku said.

Kacchan froze for only a second before running his hand down his face and groaning again.

“Jeez Deku, you can’t just say things like that,” the blonde said and Izuku heard the tiny amount of fondness in it.

Katsuki certainly looked less wound up than when they’d stepped off the train. With his mission truly complete, Izuku let the conversation end with a smile on his face. This kind of bickering was normal for the two. Auntie always said that they competed in just about everything they did, but they’d both been through too much together to actually let it come between them, not when they’d nearly lost him once before and they were all he had left. Izuku unconsciously gripped his right arm as he tried shaking himself out of those unhappy thoughts. He needed to cheer himself up.

“For the record though, having a super scary glare would be a pretty cool quirk to have.”

Katsuki grunted in acknowledgement.

“So I guess we should figure out a way to turn yours off,” Izuku teased, lightly nudging Katsuki’s arm.

“Shut up Deku,” Katsuki said, nudging back a lot harder, in a very Katsuki-like way.

This normally wouldn’t be a problem for Izuku, but just as Katsuki pushed he felt an uneven step sticking out of the ground. Caught between catching himself from Katsuki and trying to avoid the stone, he couldn’t help his foot catching on it. The world tipped and the ground rushed up to meet him. Izuku braced, waiting for either the ground to meet him or for Katsuki’s hand to catch him.

A hand touched his arm and Izuku immediately thought the latter happened. Katsuki caught him and would grumble about him being clumsy, but wait? Katsuki was on his right, but it was his left arm that was touched. And since when did the world feel so … detached.

Opening his eyes, he saw the ground beneath him, not getting any closer despite the angle he was making. He tried twisting, only to find that he was completely off the ground, floating in the air.

“Sorry! I know I should have asked if I could use my quirk, but I didn’t want you to hurt yourself from the fall.”

Standing next to him was a girl with shoulder length brown hair. With a few small touches, she helped him right himself before touching her fingertips together. The world reattached itself and Izuku dropped the couple of inches back to the floor. Wait, she’d done that? Her quirk made him float with just a touch! That was so cool!

“Don’t worry about the quirk thing. My name’s Izuku Midoriya. Best of luck in your exam today!” he said with a smile.

He could tell Katsuki was giving her a once over, as he tended to do when either of them met new people.

“Thank you!” the girl said, “I appreciate the support. I’m sure your upperclassman does too.”

Upper?

Did she just?

Izuku felt something twitch in his face as he fought to keep his expression neutral. Did she just… Come on! He’s wearing the same uniform as Katsuki! Why would she just assume he was younger? Katsuki burst out laughing, and of course the laughter was completely genuine.

The girl looked really confused at both of their reaction. When he spoke, Izuku tried to stay calm. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know. She just made an assumption; a completely ridiculous, utterly baseless, frankly libellous assumption based on one singularly irrelevant physical characteristic!

“I’m taking the same high school exam that you are,” he said.

There, that wasn’t much of a blow up, right? It wasn’t like that one time two years ago with the supply teacher. That hadn’t been a pretty sight.

Katsuki only laughed louder. Izuku shot him an unimpressed glare as he tried to calm himself down, without a whole lot of success.

Well I’m glad he’s having such a good time, Izuku thought, I know I wanted to ease his nerves, but that was through teasing him, not him teasing me!

The girls eyes widened as she started waving her hands around frantically.

“I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!” she said, bowing deeply at the end.

At least she knows how to apologise, unlike some people.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said.

It wouldn’t do to make a huge scene in front of the school before the entrance exam. Besides, if they both end up getting in, Izuku might end up in the same class as her for the next three years. Auntie Mitsuki was always yelling at Katsuki about good first impressions after all.

Speaking of, Katsuki’s laughter died down as he wiped a tear from his eyes. Izuku was _so_ glad he was having a good time.

“She thought you were an underclassman because you’re so short, pipsqueak!”

The laughing started again. Like hell was he letting Katsuki get away with this!

Izuku wasn’t short! Everyone else was just freakishly tall!

“Who’re you calling pipsqueak, you barking Pomeranian!” Izuku shot back, “you better hope I’m nowhere near you in the exam or I’ll kick your ass!”

“Like hell you will, you small fry!” Katsuki said as they both started walking away, leaving a very confused girl behind.

“Blonde hedgehog!”

“Micro broccoli!”

“Glorified party popper!”

“Garden gnome!”

“Sparkle hands!”

It was only when they actually entered the main school building that the insult war subsided into silence. It was a shame really, because Izuku reckoned those insults would be highly priced on the international insult stock exchange. Regardless, they didn’t say anything else as the reality of what they were doing settled over them. Following the directions on their test cards, they found where they were supposed to take the written exam.

For months, Izuku and Katsuki had drilled each other over every possible subject they could think of. They’d poured over practise exams and flashcards, to the point where Auntie and Uncle actually had to ban revision at the dinner table otherwise nothing else would get talked about. Preparing for the UA exam made regular school feel simple in comparison and Izuku felt confident he would do well. He could tell by how he was slouching in the seat in front of him, not too low but still not sitting properly, that Katsuki was relaxed but still taking this seriously. He had no doubt the blonde would excel in this, since he excelled at everything.

The exam was difficult, not as bad as he imagined but still a challenge. Izuku came out of it thinking he did well at least. The science section was perfect for him, the maths was hard but doable, everything else had been easy enough, except for the literature section. That could go die in a fire. Izuku still thought he did well in it though.

He took his seat with Katsuki on his right in the main auditorium. The blonde boy’s gaze was fixed somewhere between the stage at the bottom and the literature for the practical exam in front of him. Izuku knew there was no point in talking to him as the other examinees took their seats.

“HELLO LISTENERS! THANKS FOR COMING OUT TODAY! CAN I GET A YEAH!” Present Mic yelled as he took to the stage.

A small part of Izuku wanted to scream. There was an actual pro hero, right there, talking to him! He listened to Present Mic’s radio show every week and had done since he was a little kid. His quirk was so simple (a really loud voice) but the hero put it to such good use. He wanted to gush about it, but the part of him that looked an awful lot like Katsuki was glaring at him. Oh wait, that was just Katsuki. So maybe he’d gushed a little bit, but could you blame him? That was Present Mic!

The hero didn’t react to the silence he was met with, simply carrying on with his explanation. As he did so, Izuku let his thoughts run wild. He did try to keep to keep his muttering quiet, away from the ‘will you just shut up Deku!’ end of the spectrum and more towards the ‘unimpressed eye roll’ end.

So the practical was fighting robots? From what Present Mic said, there were three kinds of robots worth points. In the literature, there was a fourth kind listed, but since the hero hadn’t mentioned it, Izuku could only assume that it wasn’t worth much. He grinned. Robots he could deal with easily.

Now the only question was how exactly he could deal with them. He couldn’t be sure what they were made of so directly affecting the robots themselves was risky. If he had time, he could take a few guesses, but it would be a better strategy to use materials in the environment. They’d be fighting in a city, which meant lots of concrete, iron and steel. Easy to make weapons out of the latter two, and the former could be used as a weapon itself.

“Any questions so far?” Present Mic called out.

A tall boy two rows in front of them stood up, hand raised.

“You have only discussed three types of faux villains but on the hand outs there are four listed. If this is an error on official UA literature, then given the prestigious nature of this fine school, it is shameful,” the boy said, sounding very stern.

Izuku couldn’t help the small huff he let out, because that boy was speaking nonsense. Sure, Present Mic might not have said anything explicitly, but they all had the same exam packet, so they all had the same opportunity to read ahead. Did he really have so little faith that Mic would leave something out of the explanation? And really, the boy mustn’t have actually read the packet, because it said it right there! Izuku was right. Fourth kind of robot, worth zero points.

“You, with the green hair! This is an important exam for third year students only! To try and distract your upperclassmen with your incessant mumbling is unacceptable and you should leave now!”

Izuku jolted at suddenly being addressed. The boy had turned in his place and was levelling a finger at him. Surely he hadn’t been that distracting. If anybody would complain about his muttering, it was the blonde boy sitting next to him and he hadn’t said anything. Wait, why was Katsuki laughing? What the tall boy actually said registered in Izuku’s mind and he scowled. Did he seriously just … for the second time today?

One advantage of having metal limbs is they made for very effective blunt instruments, so when Izuku elbowed Katsuki, the blonde could only grunt and shut up. Izuku turned on his own laser glare. He would not be lectured to by some giant of a teenager who didn’t know what the hell he was talking about!

“Get off your high horse. I _am_ a third year. Don’t be so judgemental!”

The slight moment of hesitation Izuku saw in the other boy was glorious. Yeah, how does it feel to be called out in front of everyone for being an idiot!

“Be that as it may, you are still being a distraction to your fellow students sitting near you,” the boy said.

Izuku’s scowl grew deeper. Pot meet kettle! His mumbling could be distracting, yes, but only for the people right next to him, and Katsuki hadn’t complained so he had barely been making a noise. But this guy, this guy stopped the entire presentation; first, to ask a question that Present Mic surely was just getting too, and second, to embarrass another test taker in front of everyone, including potential future classmates!

“Says you who interrupted this entire presentation to give your own personal lecture. Comparing us, I'd say you win as a bigger distraction!”

Izuku had never been so glad when Present Mic called the attention back to him, because he got the distinct feeling that no matter how in the wrong he was, the other boy wouldn’t have backed down in front of everyone else. Another reason why you don’t call people out in public, it puts more egg on your face when you’re wrong.

The rest of the presentation passed by without any more interruptions from the rude boy. Izuku and Katsuki separated, going to their own battle centres with a quiet good luck coming from the former and a grunt of acknowledgement from the latter. On the short bus ride over, formulae and matrices flew through Izuku’s head. He knew what he needed to do.

Given that everyone else was enormous, Izuku needed all the advantages he could get. As soon as he changed into his black tracksuit, he found the door to the exam site and got as close to it as he was allowed. He thought he saw the brown haired girl from earlier. He sent her a mental good luck as he’d also caught sight of the rude boy on the prowl. A few of the other examinees side eyed him. Hopefully they were wondering what the rude boy had been so uptight about earlier and not why they were so tall in comparison.

Since he was solely focused on the door in front of him, he was the first to notice when they opened surprisingly quietly. He got ready.

“GO!” Present Mic called without warning, but he didn’t need it.

Izuku took off running. He just made it through the doors when he heard Mic rallying the others, correctly telling them there were no countdowns in a battle. At times like this, Izuku was glad for his teachers Spartan training. No countdowns in battle was a lesson she’d beaten into his skull every day for months.

Izuku kept running, hearing the other examinees behind him. As he slipped through an alley, a one pointer looked down the alley to him. It immediately came at him, which only made Izuku grin. He clapped his hands together before brushing them against the walls either side of him. A series of concrete slabs erupted from the walls in a shower of bright blue electricity. They easily punched through the metal of the robot and provided the perfect stepping stones for him. He jumped clear over the one pointer and out into the street, only now seeing the two pointer advancing on him.

“Here goes nothing I suppose,” Izuku mused to himself.

He clapped his hands together. At a guess, the robots were probably made of some kind of steel, with copper wiring inside. If that was the case, he thought to himself, twisting in mid air to avoid the two pointers scorpion like tail and landing on the main body of the robot, then this should work. His hands made contact with the metal. Blue electricity shocked the robot and it went limp. Izuku chuckled to himself. He had the transmutations for just about everything around here!

One more transmutation on the metal body of the two pointer, he constructed two short swords, one in each hand. The blades gleamed in the sunlight as he raced down the street towards a pair of one pointers. Two swings and his swords cleaved through the necks of the robots with ease.

“Five points. Better get going,” he mumbled.

He made steady progress through the mock city, always keeping on the move and destroying any robot he saw. He constructed spikes to skewer the robots, swords or spears if he was in a pinch. The three pointers had stronger armer, but he could still punch through with spikes and could easily fry their internal electronics. Weapons made from their armour worked a treat. If he kept up his pace, Izuku was confident he would pass.

One thing he hadn’t fully accounted for, however, were the other examinees. True to his expectations, they had impressive quirks. When he’d glanced down one street, he’d seen one examinee sink dagger like teeth through a two pointers neck. Someone else blasted some kind of fire. Some robots were floating for some reason before crashing to the ground. It was all very flashy, and Izuku almost wished he could stop and make more observations, but he couldn’t because for as flashy as they were, they weren’t all that careful about how they used them, nor aware of the other examinees around them unless they ‘stole their points’.

It seemed like whenever Izuku came across more than one examinee in an area, he had to construct a barrier to block debris or shrapnel from a careless attack from hurting someone else. Izuku really wanted to tell them off for it. If they wanted to be heroes then they needed to focus on this kind of thing! He didn’t because that would be stupid to distract both of them right in the middle of an important test.

Three minutes into the exam, Izuku vaulted over a low wall and found two three pointer firing their lasers at a car. An examinee was cowering behind it. He could see tears running down her cheeks. Without a second thought, Izuku ran at the robots. He jumped and landed on the back of the first one, instantly frying its electronics. The robot slumped but Izuku was already moving. In one fluid motion, he pulled the metal of the three pointers back together, constructing a new sword, and dived at the other. It was just too far away so his slice only damaged its left arm, making the robot turn to face him. Izuku landed on the ground and immediately charged, ramming the sword into the three pointers chest. It shuddered and stopped moving, the red light of its eye dimming.

“Thank you,” Izuku heard.

The examinee had stepped out from behind the now battered car. She wasn’t crying any more but her cheeks were still wet from her tears.

“Are you alright?” Izuku asked.

“No-o, I thought I could…,” she shook her head, “but this is too much. I’m done.”

She certainly sounded like it.

“Head back to the entrance. I doubt these things’ll pick a fight with you now,” Izuku said.

He watched her walk away before taking off himself. He continued like that, doing his best to keep his pace as he destroyed robots himself, saved other examinees from robots or others careless, and maybe just slightly geeking out on the awesome quirks he was seeing. Serioulsy! That guy had six arms! It mostly passed in a blur as Izuku fell into the focus that Teacher had instilled in him. The other examinees mostly left him alone, apart from that one blonde kid who’d felt the need to pose after Izuku saved him. He didn’t seem overly bothered so Izuku just wished him luck and carried on.

Izuku found himself back on the main street, other examinees around him, when he stopped to take a quick breather. The others seemed to be in a similar state to him. The road around him was littered with parts from various robots. Izuku took a quick tally. He’d been destroying the robots fairly consistently so he had to have a good score. High thirties, maybe low forties, he reckoned at least. Would that be enough to pass? Katsuki probably had more, but his quirk was made for something like this. As versatile as Izuku’s alchemy was, it didn’t quite have the raw destructive power as explosions. Could he use alchemy to make an explosion? Probably, if he somehow manipulated the oxygen content in the air then all he’d need was a spark.

Izuku shook his head, pulling himself back together. He took a single step to get back to his task when the ground shook. It heaved beneath his feet as loud bangs and crashes echoed all around him. When it stopped, the street seemed darker for some reason. Izuku looked up and gulped.

Looming over them was one enormous robot. Six small red eyes seemed to glare down at the examinees in the street. It was the zero point robot. Present Mic’s explanation came to mind and Izuku was suddenly very glad that there was only one of these things in the test arena. The other examinees around him started running away, some whining that they still needed points. Izuku was about to join them when the zero pointer swung its enormous fist at the street he was in. It smashed through buildings and the rumble it caused had Izuku falling to his knees.

He scrambled back up, glancing behind him as the dust settled. The zero pointer seemed sluggish and slow, probably programmed to take one action and then pause before taking another. He could see the rest of the examinees that had been close to him already on their feet and getting as far away as they could. Izuku was about to join them when he heard it.

It was a cry of pain.

Izuku stopped, whipping around to scan over the rubble in the street. There! A brown bob of hair attached to a girl who was twisting around, reaching for the lump of concrete that was pinning her leg. It was the girl from before! The nice one who knew how to apologise! Izuku ran forward, ignoring the zero pointer that was slowly lumbering towards the downed girl. It was moving slowly, he had time!

“Hey!” he called out.

The nice girl turned around to face him. Fear and relief shone from her face as he approached.

Izuku clapped his hands together and held them to the floor. He needed to be delicate here since he didn’t know what the damage was. The blue energy of his alchemy flowed through the floor until it reached under the concrete slab. Slowly, he constructed pillars from the ground, thin but strong, that rose up and eased the rubble off her leg as gently as he could. When he was confident she was free, he closed the remaining distance and crouched beside her.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked.

“J-Just my leg. I think I sprained my ankle or something,” she said.

That was better than it being broken at least. The zero pointer was close now. Its heavy footfalls were uncomfortably loud.

“Do you mind if I pick you up?”

She nodded and Izuku wasted now time picking her up bridal style. As he ran down the street away from the zero pointer, he might have heard her make a noise in surprise but he chose to believe her was hearing things. The slow stomping seemed to pick up speed. Izuku glanced behind him. The zero pointer had all its beady eyes on him and the nice girl and it had, in fact, sped up to catch them.

“Damn it,” he said under his breath.

That thing was going to keep coming after them, or at least it will until it found another target. With the zero pointer in play, there was no way for anyone close by to get any more points. Sure, Present Mic said to avoid it, but it’s hard to keep out of the way of a multi-story behemoth that actively hunts you down. The nice girl got lucky. The zero pointer swung at the mass of people in the street and she only got caught at the edge of the rubble. The next person it targets might not be that lucky. There was no other choice. He had to take it out!

Izuku put the nice girl down and ran back at the zero pointer. He could see the eyes track him, selecting him as the new target. Just as it started to reach for him, he clapped his hands together and slammed them into the floor. His body lurched upwards as a pillar erupted from the ground, throwing him up in the air towards the giant robot. Twisting, he wove his way through the fingers. He was moving too fast and was too small in comparison for the zero pointer to react in time. Focusing his energy, he clapped his hands together.

Iron. Steel. Plastics. Copper wiring. Just like the other robots but bigger. He didn’t need to outright destroy it. He just needed it to stop!

Izuku landed on the zero pointers arm and slammed his hands against the metal. Immediately, blue energy arced out. It spread along the arm before beginning to cover the body. Izuku remained focused on the transmutation. Warp the metal. Manipulate the atoms to make it less conductive. Disrupt the electricity.

Just make it stop!

The energy reached the zero pointers eyes as the whole thing began to short circuit. The great machine began shuddering as its joints seized. As the whole thing ground to a halt, Izuku felt gravity take hold of him again. He pivoted on his feet, letting himself slide down the arm. When he reached the wrist, he jumped, flipping over in the air and rolling as he landed. Textbook landing. Teacher would be proud, probably.

“What the hell was that?”

“Did he just beat that big zero pointer?”

Izuku wiped the sweat from his brow, eager to get back to the exam, when he heard the voices. It was a low murmur coming from further down the street. His heart skipped a beat when he turned to look. A small group of examinees had stopped and were staring at him. The crowd was gathering and Izuku heard more questions and expressions. Whether those expressions were of awe or jealousy, he couldn’t tell. Izuku was sorely tempted to turn tail and run. Why waste time listening to other people when he could be getting more points? Right? He had to beat Katsuki after all!

“AND THAT’S TIME!”

Present Mic’s voice echoed out across the exam site and Izuku’s shoulders slumped. Had he done enough to pass? Honestly, he had no idea. He’d not paid much attention to what the other examinees had been saying earlier because they were calling out their scores. No way was he giving himself that kind of anxiety.

“But it wasn’t worth anything. Why waste the time?”

That question from one of the other test takers was very appropriate for Izuku right now. Had he wasted his time? No! He refused to believe that. This was a heroics school! If they were going to penalise someone for trying to save another person, then they shouldn’t have released the zero pointer in the... first … place…

There was something else to the test!

There had to be! Why else would they make an obstacle so big and in your face as the zero pointer but tell the examinees to avoid it? Why, unless destroying it wasn’t the point. As he made his way back to the entrance of the exam site, Izuku couldn’t help but groan inwardly. Katsuki no doubt did amazing with the robots. Izuku did well enough, but he had no idea how this other part of the exam would be scored. Depending on the weighting, it could be just a supplement to his score or it could be a big deal. If that ended up pushing his score over the edge and because of that he ended up beating…

Izuku groaned, out loud this time.

Katsuki was gonna kill him!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> This chapter ended up quite long. Hopefully that's ok.


	3. One step forwards, one step backwards

_In the past…_

When Izuku returned to school after the weekend, it was with a big smile on his face. His classmates and teachers all looked at him weirdly as he hummed to himself as he hung up his bag and found his seat. No doubt they were all confused. Izuku had ended last week incredibly sad, with the teachers saying he needed time to come to terms with the news he was given. It had only been a couple of days and he had bounced back? It must have seemed strange.

A few of the other kids noticed his change in mood and wandered over to talk to him. They didn’t get very close before the teachers ushered them away.

“He got bad news last week. We don’t want to overwhelm him.”

Izuku frowned at that. Sure it had been bad news and yes he’d been really sad about it, but not being able to talk to anyone about anything had sucked! Besides, he was better now. It was only when the days lessons began that Izuku realised that he was alone at his table. All of the other kids had been sat at other tables, sometimes even having to move chairs and get closer to make room. Why did they do that? There was plenty of space at his table.

During the quick break between lessons, some of the other kids got up and tried approaching him but one of the teachers called them back, every time. That … hurt, when they did that. Izuku liked talking to people and he didn’t get why the teachers weren’t letting them, so he did the only thing he could think of. He stood up and approached one of the other tables. It was the one Kacchan was sat at, conspicuous in how the blonde wasn’t squished in like some of the other kids on the other tables were.

“Hey Kacchan!” Izuku called out to the boy.

The blonde turned and opened his mouth to speak but the teacher suddenly called over the room.

“Alright everyone. Back to your seats now!”

Izuku glanced at the clock. Break was still for another minute. He trudged back to his table and tried not to feel bad that he was on his own. A chair scraped as Kacchan stood up.

“Katsuki, we’re sitting in our chairs now. The lesson's about to begin,” the teacher said.

“But Izu-” Kacchan gestured to him.

“He’s sitting down now, like you should be.”

With a huff, Kacchan sat back down. As they went through the rest of their morning lessons, whispers drifted back to Izuku. He’d glance up only to see a group of his classmates suddenly turn around to face the teacher. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about but the word ‘quirkless’ stood out.

The empty feeling from before the weekend reared its ugly head, along with echoes of all the nasty words he’d heard. He felt it start to swallow him, only to be forced back by the fire inside him. The fire he’d awoken when he fixed his mothers vase using alchemy.

Alchemy!

Just the thought of it had Izuku smiling. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t a quirk. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway. This was a power that he could use and he could definitely be a hero with it! He’d spent the entire weekend reading through the books in his dads study with a newfound sense of purpose. The books weren’t just a curiosity any more. Now they were his teaching materials.

Mama had dug out his old building blocks and he used those to practise. Over the course of two days intense studying and practising, he’d went from turning the blocks into tiny wooden pieces, to misshapen blobs. His final attempt before leaving for school this morning had been his best. The cube of wood was now a pointed star, with no visible deformities or irregularities. Izuku had proudly showed it off to Mama, who could only beam at his excitement and left him at school with words of encouragement. No wonder he’d entered the classroom so happy.

When they went outside for their break, Izuku immediately went over to his favourite tree. As he expected, none of the other kids went near him. He saw a few give him a glance before catching a teachers eye and leaving him alone. He still felt the pang of sadness at that, but he distracted himself with alchemy.

So far when he’d been drawing the transmutation circles, he was then putting the required materials on top of it, but Izuku remembered reading that that wasn’t always necessary. If the circle was connected to the material at all, then it could be used. If he wanted to transmute dirt or wood, he didn’t need to put dirt or wood onto the circle itself. Instead, he could draw the circle directly onto it and it should work.

After quickly checking to make sure no one was watching, Izuku picked up a stick and started drawing a transmutation circle into the ground. It was only small but it would be good enough to practise with. Once he was finished, he paused. Everything he’d read said that this would work, but he’d also read that alchemy was a science. Surely, the scientific thing to do was to verify what he knew first before trying something different. So, he placed the stick on the circle and placed his hands on the rim. The familiar rush of energy flowed through him, down his arms and into the transmutation circle. It was only small, so the transmutation wouldn’t be that big. The circle shone with bright blue energy. Sparks crackled around the stick, which suddenly bent like rubber and tied itself into a knot.

Izuku grinned as he looked back down at his circle, knotted stick in hand. Drawing the circle like this worked, now to see if he could transmute the ground beneath it. He placed his hands down again. The circle shone again and Izuku could sense the energy moving. This time, the ground beneath the circle began to rise, pushing against his hands. He didn’t resist, allowing a cube of dirt to be pulled up out of the ground.

“Izu?”

Izuku jumped. Standing in front of him was Kacchan. The blonde boy was looking between him and the cube of dirt with wide eyes. For once, he seemed at a loss for what to say.

“Kacchan?” Izuku tentatively asked.

Kacchan smirked, closing the remaining distance between them.

“I knew it! I knew you had a quirk! You had to!”

Kacchan knelt beside him, picking up the cube. It was compacted so the dirt didn’t fall apart. Kacchan turned it over in his hands, examining every inch of it.

“So what can you do? The teacher said you didn’t have a quirk and that’s why we needed to stay away from you but I saw you doing something. Is it making stuff out of dirt, is that it?” Kacchan questioned.

Izuku could tell the boy was trying to put on his usual aloof tone, even as excitement leaked through it. It made him feel happy, knowing that Kacchan was still there. But wait? What was that about the teacher?

“What do you mean the teacher said to stay away?”

“They said that you were upset about being quirkless, which was obvious to everyone, and that we should stay away to let you accept it. I thought that was dumb, and even Mom agreed.”

“But I’m better now!” Izuku insisted.

“Well duh, like I said, dumb. You were just a bit late getting yours. Mom said it happens sometimes. Our teachers are just idiots who said they need to be careful with how fragile you are, that’s why they didn’t want me coming over to even talk to you.”

“I’m not fragile,” Izuku mumbled.

“I know that. You’re a big baby who cries a lot, but you’re not fragile. Now come on! What can you do? What’s your quirk?”

Izuku wanted to disagree about the crying comment, but he couldn’t because he needed to wipe a few tears away, so he took Kacchan’s change in topic.

“It’s something I’ve been learning from Daddy’s books.”

“You learned to play with dirt from your dads books?” Kacchan didn’t look impressed.

“No, that’s just what I’ve been practising with. I should be able to do loads with it when I learn and practise more, but for now this is what I can do,” Izuku showed him the knotted stick.

Kacchan took it and ran his fingers over it. He tried unknotting it but found the wood was as rigid as it normally was, meaning Izuku couldn’t have tied the knot himself. Kacchan handed it back with a triumphant light in his eyes.

“Well then you’d better hurry up and learn more. You’ll need it if we’re gonna be the greatest hero duo in the world!”

Izuku beamed back at him.

“Now show me how you do it,” Kacchan said, and Izuku couldn’t help but laugh at the demand.

Break was over before Izuku got the chance. For their afternoon lessons, Kacchan sat in the chair next to Izuku. The blonde completely ignored the teacher asking him to move seats. ‘That’s not your seat Katsuki’. ‘We don’t want to overwhelm him in the state he’s in.’ ‘He can’t take you being rough right now.’ Kacchan just sat there, arms folded and almost daring the teacher to move him herself. Eventually, she gave up and began the lesson. The other students looked confused at the pair, and Izuku was happy that the whispers of quirklessness he heard were equally as confused. After all, why would Katsuki Bakugo hang out with someone so useless as to not have a quirk?

When school ended, Izuku ran out the front door with Kacchan in tow. Mama and Auntie Mitsuki were waiting at the gates for them. Mama crouched to give him one of her big hugs.

“Mama, look!”

Izuku showed her the knotted stick he’d made. Mama smiled at him, ruffling his hair to make it even curlier.

“That’s wonderful Izuku, but remember that you need to be careful when you practise,” she said.

“I will! No one was near me anyway.”

“What do you mean? Weren’t you playing with the other kids?”

“Just some rubbish about him being quirkless,” Auntie Mitsuki said, “but they’re all idiots if they couldn’t be patient enough to wait for a late quirk.”

Auntie Mitsuki looked down, seeing the knotted stick.

“Looks cool kiddo. Katsuki said you’ll lots of practise and then you’ll be an awesome hero with a power like that.”

Auntie Mitsuki’s smile wasn’t soft and tender like Mama’s, but it made Izuku feel soft inside all the same. Izuku nodded back with a grin, assuring her that he’d practise so hard!

“Alright then, I think we need to be getting home now,” Mama said, standing up.

When she reached her full height, she stumbled. She swayed slightly on her feet as one hand reached out and grabbed hold of the school gate. After a moment, the swaying stopped, though she still looked a little unsteady.

“You alright Inko?” Auntie Mitsuki asked.

“Mama?”

“Just a little dizzy all of a sudden,” she said, “must have stood up too quickly.”

Izuku accepted that, even as he frowned. It didn’t look like she stood up any quicker than she normally did. Still, when they started walking home, the Bakugo’s joining them for most of the way, Mama walked as though nothing had happened, so Izuku put it from his mind. It mustn’t have been that important anyway.

Izuku dove head first into his alchemy studies. Every day he’d get a new result and proudly show it off to Mama. Mama would always gush about how fast he was improving. He went from turning his wooden blocks into simple shapes to more complex things. The crowning achievement of these experiments was when he was able to make a wooden statue of All Might out of a block. He may or may not have shown that one off to Kacchan.

As the weeks passed, Izuku’s understanding of alchemy grew. He supplemented his daddy’s books with learning about chemistry. He learned that he could change one object into another so long as he followed a progression of similar properties. That opened up a whole new world of possibilities, though he made sure to keep the warnings in mind.

_It is through transmutation of properties that an alchemist may take base metals and produce gold from it. Bear in mind however that it is easy to mistake how far you are attempting to jump, which could cause a rebound._

“Izuku, I need to quickly pick up a prescription from the pharmacy. I’ll be back soon,” Mama called from the door.

A new rule had been added to the list since Izuku discovered this new talent. Mama didn’t want him practising alchemy when she wasn’t in the house. While Izuku had grumbled at the rule, it didn’t usually matter too much. There was plenty he could be doing to further his studies without actually needing to practise. Daddy had so many books on alchemy, Izuku wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to read them all.

Izuku was already racking up his own total of books. He’d already filled three notebooks with notes of what he’d learned and what he’d tried. It was fun and helped keep his mind sharp for when he watched the news to see what new heroes had debuted. The more he learned alchemy, the more he was sure he could use it to become a hero. He would be like All Might, in his own way. He would save so many people with alchemy.

Just as she said, Mama was back quickly. When Izuku poked his head around into the kitchen, about to ask what they were having for dinner, he saw he put something into her mouth before swallowing it with a glass of water.

“Mama?”

“Oh!” Mama jumped before spotting him, “Izuku, you scared me.”

“What’s that?” Izuku asked, pointing to the small packet on the counter.

“It’s just some medicine for my headaches,” Mama said, “now, would you like to help me make dinner?”

Izuku grinned, bouncing at the opportunity to help. Later on, he would realise that this was Mama’s way of distracting him. In the moment he had no idea. He didn’t see how she was paler than normal, nor how she kept gripping the counter to steady herself. All he saw was her warm smiles that never failed to give him comfort.

The next day, Mama took Izuku around to Kacchan’s house. The Bakugo house was bigger than the Midoriya’s, since both parents worked in lucrative jobs. Uncle Masaru was a designer who worked for the Jeanist fashion label. Auntie Mitsuki took those designs and turned them into products to be sold. She’d tried explaining what she did many times but it wasn’t as interesting as the pictures that Uncle Masaru showed to explain his job. It meant that they had plenty of money to afford a bigger house a few streets away from the Midoriya’s.

Izuku ran up to the door and rang the bell. Loud thuds got closer and closer before the front door was wrenched open. Kacchan reached out and grabbed Izuku’s wrist, dragging him into the house and barely giving him a chance to take off his shoes.

“Come on! All Might’s fighting bad guys on the TV!” Kacchan yelled.

“Bye Mama!” Izuku called over his shoulder, the excitement of watching All Might growing with each step he took.

The two boys parked themselves in front of the TV. All Might was fighting two villains at once. Both of them had obvious mutation quirks but Izuku could see there was a secondary component to both of them. The one with enormous ears looked like he was blasting something from his mouth, while the other kangaroo legs and what looked like giant fists attached to springs. All Might didn’t falter. He kept up his smile as he dodged around the villains attacks. When the dust settled, the villains were knocked out and All Might stood over them victorious. Both boys faces were a picture of awe.

“All Might’s awesome!” Kacchan yelled, pumping a fist in the air.

“He’s so cool!” Izuku joined in.

“Come on! Let’s go play heroes!”

Kacchan dragged Izuku up to his room so they could play. Their games lasted all morning, only stopping for a quick lunch. Kacchan wanted to show him his quirk so they went out into the backyard under the watchful eye of Uncle Masaru. Izuku didn’t think he would ever not be mesmerised by Kacchan’s quirk. The explosions were getting quite strong, more than enough to consistently knock the seven year old off his feet.

“It keeps doing that, but that just means they’re getting stronger!” Kacchan said after once again being knocked over by his quirk, “and I need to get stronger so I don’t fall over all the time.”

“But Kacchan, if it’s strong enough to knock you over then do you know what that means?” Izuku asked, eyes gleaming.

Kacchan raised an eyebrow at him.

“It means that if you get it right, you could use quirk to fly!”

A spark of determination lit a fire in Kacchan. He immediately turned his palms down, ready to let lose.

“Ok boys, that’s enough for now,” Uncle Masaru called.

Izuku groaned.

“But Dad, I’m gonna fly!”

“Katsuki, you know the rules about trying new things with your quirk. You need to wait until we can book you into a quirk gym,” Uncle Masaru said.

Kacchan groaned loudly but didn’t argue.

“Let’s go back inside. I think Izuku will be going home soon.”

As much as Izuku loved his mother, going home after a full day with Kacchan always made him sad. Judging by the pout from the other boy, it made Kacchan sad too. Auntie Mitsuki was on the phone when they came back into the house. She immediately left the room but Izuku caught snippets of what she was saying as she left.

“Are you sure? I can be there...”.

“Of course! It would be no bother.”

Izuku wasn’t sure who Auntie was talking to, but Uncle Masaru put an All Might cartoon on and Izuku was captivated. Halfway through the episode, Uncle Masaru got up and spoke with Aunti Mitsuki in hushed tones but Izuku had far more important things to listen to, like how All Might was battling the giant hedge monster to protect a bus full of school kids. It was only when the episode ended that Izuku paid attention to reality, as Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru muted the TV and knelt in front of the two of them.

“Izuku, that was your mother on the phone. She’s asked if you could stay the night with us because she’s in the hospital right now,” Auntie Mitsuki said, immediately grimacing when she finished because of the panicked look on Izuku’s face.

“What! Is she ok?” Izuku started tearing up.

“She’s fine Izuku. She’s been a little under the weather lately and went to the hospital for a check up. They’re keeping her overnight for observation and she’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” Uncle Masaru reassured him.

They all spent a moment calming Izuku down. Kacchan said that ‘Auntie Inko was too strong for a stupid sickness to beat her’ which earned him a light scolding from his mother and small chuckle from Izuku.

“How about I show you boys how to make my spicy udon?” Uncle Masaru asked.

That had both boys in the kitchen, hands washed and tiny aprons on. Izuku usually only helped Mama make breakfast because he was, in her words, far too energetic in the mornings, so getting to help Uncle and Kacchan make dinner was something new. Kacchan was obviously used to this as Uncle Masaru guided him through chopping the vegetables after Auntie Mitsuki helped Izuku wash them.

“We just need the water to boil then we can cook the noodles,” Uncle Masaru said, setting a filled pot on the stove.

“Can I please try something?” Izuku asked, dashing off to the living room to grab his notepad and pen.

This was something he’d learned how to do recently. It was a new transmutation, one to change the properties of something and make it hotter or colder. He quickly drew the circle and tore off the page. He showed it to the Bakugo’s and explained what it did. Kacchan looked excited, as he usually did when Izuku showed him something new. Uncle and Auntie looked slightly uneasy but ultimately allowed it after Izuku promised that it wouldn’t blow anything up. For some reason, Kacchan looked put out by that.

Izuku stood on a stool, putting the paper with the circle on top of the lid of the pot. He placed his hand on the circle and focused on the transmutation. He didn’t want to instantly vaporise the water, he just wanted to raise its temperature so that it was starting to boil. The circle shone and the pot crackled blue. Izuku jumped back when a small spurt of steam escaped the pot. When Uncle Masaru checked, the water was boiling steadily.

“Could you freeze the water too?” Kacchan asked.

“Not with circle but yes, I could,” Izuku said.

“That’s quite a quirk you’ve got there kiddo,” Auntie Mitsuki said, ruffling his hair.

It wasn’t a quirk but Izuku had given up on correcting people. Everyone at school had been really confused because alchemy looked like a quirk but Izuku was supposed to be quirkless. Some of the kids got over it, others didn’t, and none of the adults seemed to know how to handle him now.

They ate their dinner together, the table full of noise and conversation. Auntie Mitsuki showed them a picture of Best Jeanist trying on one of Uncle Masaru’s designs and Izuku couldn’t help but gush. Best Jeanist was so cool. All heroes were cool!

Izuku had to borrow some of Kacchan’s old pyjamas, since he was shorter, but that was fine with him. Kacchan didn’t wear hero pyjamas any more but he did when he was younger, meaning Izuku got to wear pyjama shirt with a stylised All Might on it while Kacchan had to settle with wearing a black shirt with a small white skull on it. Boring! Going to bed was uneventful and Auntie Mitsuki only had to tell them to be quiet a whole two times! A new record! It was only when the house was quiet and Kacchan was asleep that Izuku stopped to think about Mama. She was in the hospital because she was sick. How sick was she? Surely it couldn’t be that bad if she was only there for observation. When he watched that medical show with Mama that one time, all the people who’d been in for observation turned out ok in the end, it was just the doctors wanting to keep an eye on things. That thought reassured Izuku as he shuffled around to get more comfortable.

Mama would be fine.

The next morning was as eventful as normal for the Bakugo household. Both Izuku and Kacchan were up early. Auntie Mitsuki gave them an earful about keeping quiet so as not to disturb the neighbours but otherwise let them watch cartoons in piece. They helped Uncle Masaru make breakfast and Izuku waited. Mama was coming to pick him up soon so he had to be ready.

Auntie and Uncle were both looking uncomfortable. Auntie kept checking her phone and tried calling someone a few times. Uncle Masaru tried his best to keep them distracted but it wasn’t working. Both Izuku and Kacchan picked up on the uneasy atmosphere. The news was on in the background. Kacchan was tapping away at a handheld game console while Izuku mindlessly drew transmutation circles over and over again in his notebook. It was nearly lunchtime and Mama still wasn’t here yet. Surely the bus didn’t take this long. Right?

“Breaking news.”

The news report caught the attention of everyone in the room. When he saw what it was, Uncle Masaru tried changing the channel but Kacchan was quick to snatch the remote from him.

“The villain rampaging in downtown Musutafu has been caught by the hero Air Jet and the new pro Death Arms, bringing to an end an attack which tragically claimed the lives of at least five civilians and leaving many more injured. First responders are on the scene dealing with the injured. Representatives from the Buster Hero Agency has given a statement, saying that they only wish they had been able to do more to prevent this from happening. Their thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this and they will do whatever they can to support them.”

Izuku was a smart boy. He had to be for his alchemy to work. He didn’t need the looks he was getting from Kacchan and his parents. In his head, he’d already plotted the bus routes, mapping it against the reported rampage of the villain. He didn’t like the dots he was connecting, vehemently denied that it was the only thing that made sense. Izuku didn’t believe it. He didn’t! There was no way this could happen. There was no way that Mama was one of the people who…

Lunch was abandoned. Izuku couldn’t do more than stare, alternating between begging Auntie and Uncle to call Mama one more time to sitting on the couch and doing nothing. Kacchan tried getting him to do things, but the blonde’s efforts were half-hearted at best. Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru were both on their phones. Who they were calling, Izuku had no idea but it wasn’t making them any happier.

As the day started to turn to night, two people in police uniform knocked on the door. It only cemented in his mind what he’d already figured out. The world around him was like mush. Did Auntie Mitsuki fall to the ground in tears or was that Uncle? Was that Kacchan screaming? Why was his face getting wet? Everything was a blur and Izuku’s thoughts weren’t quiet as reality started to set in.

His mother was dead and there was nothing he could do about it.

_In the present…_

Both Izuku and Katsuki had been banished to their rooms. Turns out that trying to keep two increasingly stressed teenagers occupied, one of whom was a bear made out of dynamite with a short fuse and the other who had absolutely no fear about poking said bear, while waiting for important exam results was no easy task. Auntie Mitsuki had quickly lost patience and Izuku could tell even Uncle Masaru was growing tired with their constant bickering. The arguments were never even about anything really. It was just them throwing words at each other. Apparently it was too loud even for Mitsuki Bakugo.

Keeping them in their rooms wasn’t much better than giving them free reign of the house, but it was better than the alternatives. They’d already been banned from working out, both adults had grown sick of them studying months ago and they wanted to actually be able to use the living room in peace, so their bedrooms were the only other place.

Izuku was kind of glad of it though. Annoying Katsuki was fun when it was harmless, but only an idiot would miss that the stress was starting to get to the other boy. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t hanging around with his lackeys from school?

The house was quiet. Izuku took a moment to actually organise his notes after neglecting them for months. When he finished that, he rearranged his alchemy books, brushing up on a few concepts he was weaker in. He’d been putting more thought into the explosion idea he had in the final moments of the entrance exam. He had the basic concept down, now he just needed to figure out how to transfer that idea into a structural matrix. If he got it, he could cause fires and explosions with the snap of his fingers. After half an hour of theorising, he gave his arm and leg a quick tune up. Did he need to get them adjusted? Probably soon.

When he ran out of busy work, Izuku flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. This waiting was awful!

“Katsuki! Izuku! Get down here!”

Auntie’s voice echoed up the stairs and Izuku immediately shot out of bed. Katsuki was faster as they both raced down the stairs, skidding to a halt in the living room. Uncle Masaru ushered them onto the couch and Aunti Mitsuki handed them both identical envelopes. Turning it over, Izuku saw a wax seal embossed with the logo of UA. His heart started hammering in his chest. Before either of them could say otherwise, Auntie Mitsuki held up a hand.

“Heads, Katsuki goes first. Tails, Izuku does,” she said, showing them a coin.

She flipped it in the air, caught it with her right hand and smacked it down on the top of her left hand.

“Heads it is.”

Katsuki took a moment to stare at the envelope. Taking a deep breath, he put up his mask of nonchalance and easily sliced it open. Inside was a metal disk, which fell out and landed on the coffee table. They all stared at it, wondering what it was for, just as it activated.

Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared in the air above the disk.

“I am here as a projection!”

All Mights signature smile and imposing presence appeared on the screen in a flash of movement and noise, startling everyone in the room.

“Congratulations young Bakugo. You scored an impressive 92% on the written exam, more than enough to pass.”

Katsuki scowled for a moment, likely annoyed that it wasn’t perfect, but he smirked when Izuku elbowed him lightly.

“Of course, a hero cannot get by with book smarts alone. On to the results of the practical exam!”

“You scored 85 villain points, a truly admirable score and one which places you at joint first in the practical exam! Between both tests you have more than secured your place in the hero course!”

“Well done Katsuki Bakugo. Welcome to UA, your hero academia!”

The screen shut off. Everyone sat there stunned before Auntie Mitsuki threw herself at Katsuki.

“Well done you brat! Knew you had it in you!”

“Get off me!” Katsuki yelled, shoving his mother off of him.

When he did, Uncle Masaru pulled him into a much more gentle hug than his wife, along with a few whispered words of encouragement. Eventually Katsuki pushed him away too and Izuku gave him a clap on the shoulder, knowing that he wouldn’t want to be swarmed any more.

“Nerd needs to open his now,” Katsuki said, and Izuku was sure he heard Katsuki’s voice shake slightly.

Well, now it was his turn. The envelope in his hands somehow felt heavier than it had a moment ago. It was both fragile and indestructible at time and Izuku had no idea how Katsuki managed to open it without his explosions. Taking a moment to gather his nerve, Izuku started pulling. He’d never been all that great at opening envelopes so he ended up grabbing both ends and pulled until the envelope split, dutifully ignoring Katsuki’s scoff of ‘seriously nerd?’

The same kind of metal disk fell out and they all waited with baited breath for it to activate. When it did, they didn’t jump or startle and Izuku was able to take in more of All Mights preamble than before. Wait, did he just say he going to be teaching at UA?

“You scored 91% on the written exam-”

“Hah! Beat you!”

“Shut up Kacchan!”

“Boys!” Uncle Masaru interjected.

“-Onto the results of the practical exam! You scored 40 villain points, a truly respectable score and more than enough to pass the exam, but that’s not all!”

Izuku’s heart soared when All Might said he had enough to pass, only to falter when he said that wasn’t everything? What more was there to say? Izuku remembered the zero pointer and his suspicion that there was something else to the practical exam that they hadn’t been told about.

The screen changed to what looked like security footage. Different clips were played, each one showing Izuku saving another examinee from robots or protecting them from rubble and debris. The montage finished with him saving the brown haired girl and his take down of the zero pointer.

“What part of ‘it’s best to avoid that thing’ didn’t you understand you moron!”

“It would have crushed that girl!”

“What kind of hero course would we be if we let heroic acts such as these slip by unrewarded. That’s why we have rescue points! A panel of judges gives out points for actions deemed to be in service to others. For your brave actions in the exam, you earned 45 rescue points, which brings your total score up to 85 points! Congratulations, this means you placed joint first in the practical exam!”

Izuku’s heart started soaring again as the All Might on screen held his hand out just as he had with Katsuki.

“Well done Izuku Midoriya. Welcome to UA, your hero academia!”

The projection shut off. There was a moment of peace before Auntie Mitsuki pounced on him like she did with Katsuki.

“Oh my god! Congratulations! Katsuki, get in here!” Auntie Mitsuki basically screamed, yanking Katsuki into the hug as well, “I’m so proud of you boys!”

“Thanks Auntie,” Izuku mumbled, slightly overwhelmed from the results.

“This definitely calls for a celebration. I’ve got to tell everyone! I’ve definitely got office bragging rights for at least the next month!” Auntie Mitsuki stood up and paced around the room, her mind obviously pulling her to do too many things at once.

“Got more villain points than you nerd!” Katsuki said, surprising Izuku by pulling him into a hug.

Despite his teasing words, the hug was tight and genuine. Izuku gladly returned it, beyond happy with how both of them had done.

“I guess I just need to work harder to beat you next time.”

Katsuki let go, giving him a light shove even as his smirk seemed more like an actual smile.

“As if I’d let you beat me.”

Katsuki picked up his letter and sauntered off, probably to talk his mother into taking them to that restaurant that made the super spicy curry Katsuki liked. Izuku’s mind was racing too much to notice when Uncle Masaru stepped in front of him. His hug was gentle and helped soothe his energy.

“You did well Izuku. I’m so proud of you,” he said, before dropping his voice and holding him a little tighter, “and your mother would be proud of you too.”

Izuku held onto him, burying his face in the man’s chest. He wasn’t the same stupid kid he was back then. He’d made huge mistakes and lost a lot along the way, but he was finally taking the first step towards making some of that right. He was following his dreams just as she’d always wanted him to do. Wherever she was, Izuku hoped that she could see him in this moment.

He hoped he could make her proud.

The time that followed felt like a whirlwind. Izuku and Katsuki finished their final year of middle school. They were called up in front of the entire school to accept congratulations for making it into UA. Katsuki had almost been guaranteed to pass but Izuku could tell that they hadn’t expected him to as well. As much as it annoyed him, Izuku had made a certain amount of peace with it. Most of his classmates had seen him do alchemy at one point or another, but most of the teachers hadn’t. They’d just read quirkless that stubbornly refused to be changed in his files and made their judgements from that. It was annoying, but he’d been dealing with it for years at this point.

Besides, UA would be different.

Just as with the entrance exam, Izuku and Katsuki rode the train together, only this time they were both in official UA High School uniforms. Auntie Mitsuki had tried taking a bunch of photos of them before they left but Katsuki was able to yell his way out of it and Auntie wanted photos of both of them.

Izuku caught sight of a few similar uniforms on the train. UA didn’t only teach heroics. There were a bunch of other courses available so Izuku couldn’t tell if they’d be his future classmates. Both him and Katsuki had been placed in class 1A. At his old schools, they’d been hit or miss about whether or not to place siblings in the same class and he had no way of knowing of UA would be similar. Besides, Izuku wasn’t complaining about being in a class with someone he knew for certain he could get along with, mostly. He wondered if that brown haired girl got in, or that kid with the glasses who was really rude to him.

This time when they approached the gates to UA, both Izuku and Katsuki took a moment to take it in. They were here at last. One more step and they’d be that much closer to being heroes. They weren’t alone in pausing to take in the atmosphere. Katsuki eventually got annoyed at the other gawkers around him and stepped onto the campus, Izuku a pace behind him.

“You’ve gotta hand in that dumb form, right?” Katsuki asked.

“If by dumb form you mean my ‘confirmation of medical records’ form, then yes. I need to hand it in to the office,” Izuku said, “you go on ahead, save me a seat.”

Did UA do assigned seating? No idea, he’d find out when he got to class. The school office was down the corridor immediately after entering the main school building. He wasn’t the only one handing in paperwork so there was a bit of a queue, but the staff must have anticipated a rush because they were getting through people quickly so Izuku wasn’t worried about being late.

“How can I help you?” a skinny woman with glowing yellow hair asked him as he finally reached the desk.

“I’m in the heroics course and was told I needed to hand this in. It’s to confirm my medical records.”

“Brilliant. I’ll put this into the system so the school nurse and your homeroom teacher can see it. Thank you.”

The woman waved him off with a smile and called on the next person. All in all, it had taken five minutes so Izuku wasn’t in too much of a hurry as he hunted down his classroom. The inside of UA was like a maze. Part of him thought he might get lost until he figured out the logic of the layout. It was designed to be confusing if you were rushing, probably as a defence mechanism in case of intruders. If Izuku kept calm and took his time, he would be fine.

Sure enough, it only took him a few minutes to find himself outside of the class 1A classroom. The door was enormous, stretching all the way to the ceiling. Izuku knew everyone else was freakishly tall but this felt like overkill. Unless there actually were students that tall, in which case it was the appropriate amount of kill. Taking one last calming breath, Izuku reached for the handle.

Despite being enormous, the door opened smoothly and Izuku got his first glimpse of the class. Nearly everyone else was already there and in their seats, chatting amongst themselves. It looked like how every other school year had started on the first day. Izuku tried scanning the crowd, looking for either an empty seat or Kacchan, until he heard two very familiar raised voices.

“Get your feet off of that desk this instant!”

“Hah?”

Trust Katsuki to make himself known in a crowd. Izuku stepped into the classroom further and saw the boy with glasses attempting to loom over Katsuki, who was leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk. It was a familiar position for the blonde to be in and not at all surprising to Izuku. The glasses boy was gesturing to Katsuki vigorously.

“Do you have any idea how disrespectful it is to this school to deface their property in such a manner!”

“What school did you come from to get a stick shoved so far up your own ass you can’t see past it, even with this stupid glasses?” Katsuki mocked.

He’s obviously picked up on the boys self-important attitude. Izuku had had to suffer through Katsuki’s rants about stuck up rich kids in the past and knew he needed to head this one off at the pass if they wanted to keep the property damage to a minimum. He stepped forward as the boy spoke again.

“I see. Let’s start over, I’m Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy.”

“Somei? Think that makes you better than me?” Katsuki challenged, until he spotted Izuku behind Iida, “nerd.”

He gestured to the seat behind him as Iida sputtered.

“How rude!” Iida said, winding up for another scolding.

Izuku squeezed past him and stowed his stuff at his desk. It was then that Iida spotted him.

“You!”

Izuku froze, then he remembered the things that Iida said to him at the entrance exam. He faced Iida with a cool look on his face.

“Me.”

“You’re the one from the entrance exam. I must apologise for my unacceptable behaviour!” Iida dropped into a perfect ninety degree bow, almost as though he’d rigidly practised it, “you realised there was another aspect to the exam that I did not. Clearly you are the superior student!”

Izuku took a step back, eager to get away from the intensely apologising boy. Did he do everything at 100%?

“You don’t need to go that far, I didn’t do that because I thought I’d be graded on it. Just, next time don’t jump to conclusions and we’ll call it even,” Izuku said.

It wasn’t quite even, but Izuku wanted to be the better person here. Iida immediately shot back up to standing straight.

“Even if you didn’t think you’d be graded on it, to take action like that is impressive,” Iida said.

“Don’t blow smoke up the nerds ass,” Katsuki said.

“Play nice Kacchan,” Izuku said, only earning a tsk from the blonde.

“Oh hey! Midoriya!”

Izuku turned to see the brown haired girl waving at him from the doorway. She made to approach him, only to jump, looking down at something in the corridor. Izuku had to resist the urge to stand up to see better, only for whatever it was to stand up and fill the space in the open doorway. This caught the attention of everyone in the room and all conversation stopped.

“8 seconds is too long. I don’t like having my time wasted,” the yellow blob said in the most bored tone that Izuku had ever heard.

Was that a persons face? What the hell was going on? From the yellow cocoon emerged man wearing a baggy black shirt and pants with a long grey scarf wrapped around his shoulders.

“If you want to do well in the hero course you’ll need to do better,” the man said, “my name is Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher.”

The entire class was stunned. Homeroom teacher? That must mean he’s a pro hero, Izuku though, but he didn’t recognise him. Aizawa’s costume was fairly nondescript, there wasn’t a lot about which stood out, but Izuku couldn’t help feel like it was familiar somehow.

“At the front, you’ll find gym uniforms. Get changed into one and meet me outside on the P.E. grounds in 10 minutes,” he said, and then when nobody moved, “9 minutes 50 seconds.”

Aizawa left and everyone burst into motion. They’d gotten a sense from the man that they wouldn’t like what would happen to him if he was late. Izuku hurried forward but Katsuki was already shoving a gym uniform into his hands. After quickly checking it was the right size, he hurried after the rest of the boys to the changing room.

Izuku didn’t like changing in front of new people as a general rule. He knew there was plenty of things about him to gawk at so he did his best to change in stalls where he could. UA probably had stalls he could use, but he was on a time crunch so he sucked it up and used the main changing room with the rest of the boys. The attachments for his right arm were the most noticeable so he always wore a black undershirt and white gloves to cover it up. Luckily, when he glanced around the rest of the room, the other boys were too focused on getting changed quickly to look his way. Regardless, he made quick work of his pants, pulling on the gym pants before his metal leg could be noticed. When he was finished, he followed after a blonde boy with a tail out onto the P.E. grounds. Aizawa raised an eyebrow at his undershirt and gloves but didn’t otherwise react.

The P.E. ground reminded him of his middle school, only bigger. Aizawa was waiting for them, looking just as bored as when he’d emerged as a beautiful butterfly earlier. He reckoned the last one out, another blonde boy wearing some kind of bulky silver belt, had three minutes to spare.

“Not bad,” Aizawa commented, “we’re going to be having a quirk assessment test.”

A collective chill passed over the assembled students. Izuku felt his joints stiffen for reasons other than he needed to oil them. A test on the very first day! The brown haired girl raised her hand.

“But sir, aren’t we supposed to be going to orientation?”

Izuku thought Aizawa grimaced slightly, but in a blink the man’s face was just as blank as normal.

“A lot of pomp and ceremony is utterly pointless and is best avoided. In the hero course, it is much more logical to push the boundaries of what you can achieve, and that means testing the limits of your quirks.”

Aizawa’s eyes swept over the line of students.

“Bakugo, how far could you throw a ball in middle school?”

“67 metres,” Katsuki answered immediately.

Izuku remembered that. The pitcher of the baseball team had been boasting about how nobody could throw better than him. Stupidly, he’d challenged Katsuki to prove that he could throw it the furthest. Katsuki ended up throwing it a whole five metres further than the other kid.

Aizawa simply nodded at Katsuki and threw him a ball.

“Try throwing it with your quirk. Anything goes just don’t leave the circle.”

He stepped aside and gestured to the circle painted onto the ground. Katsuki stretched his arms before rearing back. Everyone else was waiting in anticipation, while Izuku braced for whatever impact there would be. Katsuki yelled something which sounded suspiciously like die before launching the ball with a powerful explosion. It flew through the air, landing a lot further than 67 metres away. There was a small beep and Aizawa turned the phone he was holding around so they could see.

“705 metres!”

“That’s crazy!”

“You’ll each be put through a series of tests that you’ve been doing since elementary school. The Japanese government, in an attempt to level the playing field, has prevented you from completing these to your best of your abilities. I aim to rectify that by allowing you to use your quirk in whatever way you see fit,” Aizawa said.

“This is gonna be awesome!” a spiky red head said, pumping a fist in the air.

“Just what I expected from the hero course,” a black haired boy with strange cylindrical elbows said.

“This’ll be so much fun!” a pink girl with horns said.

Izuku caught the way Aizawa’s eye twitched.

“Fun? Very well, let’s make this fun. These tests will judge your potential. The student who performs worst across all 8 tests will be judged to have zero potential and will be expelled.”

Everyone was stunned into silence.

“But we all worked so hard to get here. That’s not fair!” the brown haired girl spoke up.

“Not fair? So is holding the line alone against a horde of villains supposed to be fair? Or digging injured civilians out of a collapsed building while the typhoon rages around you? Hero work isn’t fair! You can either deal with it or leave now,” Aizawa said, silencing all other complaints.

“Here at UA, the teachers are allowed freedom in how they run their class. What I say, goes. You want to stick around? Then you’d best go beyond, plus ultra and all that. Now look alive, we’ve got tests to do.”

Aizawa spun on his heel and gestured for them to move over to the first of the test areas, which was for the 50m sprint. They were to go in pairs while a robot timed them. First up was the blonde with the belt and the pink girl. The robot introduced them in a far to cheerful voice as Yuga Aoyama and Mina Ashido. Izuku crossed his arms, thinking about how he could use alchemy in these tests. He had some ideas, but for the sprint he wasn’t sure.

Iida was up next with a girl with some kind of frog like quirk named Tsuyu Asui. Iida predictably did well in this test, though Asui didn’t too badly either. The brown haired girl, Ochaco Uraraka, tapped her clothes and shoes but it didn’t seem to make her go any faster. When Izuku went up to run, he was against Katsuki. The blonde boy had an unsettling grin on his face and Izuku suddenly had an idea about what he was planning to do. He clapped his hands together and pressed them to the ground as he readied himself. When the starting shot went off, he let his alchemy work. A wall rose up down the middle line of the track, effectively separating the two boys. Izuku heard explosions from the other side as he ran as hard as he could. Long distance was not his thing, but sprints he could do easily. He ended up with a reasonable time, beating his middle school record.

The grip test was next. A very tall boy wearing a mask named Mezo Shoji did the best here, but Izuku didn’t too badly. He was able to transmute the grip tester so the springs tightened themselves. It didn’t give him as high a score as Shoji, but it was still pretty good.

After that was the standing long jump. Katsuki and Aoyama both did well, using their quirks to propel them forward. Asui also excelled with her powerful leap. Izuku did what he did against the zero pointer. He made a large pillar erupt from the ground beneath his feet which launched him forward. Aizawa kept looking at him funny. He’d stuck the landing so it wasn’t his technique. Was he getting annoyed that Izuku kept tearing up the ground? He was sorry for that but he didn’t know what else to do. Aizawa said they needed to push themselves, so this was Izuku literally pushing himself. Besides, he always restored whatever he broke right away.

He couldn’t use alchemy for all the tests, instead having to rely on his own physical abilities. Fortunately, he’d been training his body for years. When doing the repeated side steps, he imagined he was sparring with Teacher. Each step was a dodge, failure to do so was a hit. It served him well and gave him a reasonable score. He tried not to stare when the next student, Minoru Mineta, blew away everyone elses scores by bouncing between piles of purple balls he pulled from his head. He wanted to say he was staring because of the creative quirk use, but really it was because how the hell was someone his age shorter than him?

He did end up staring for the ball throw, because there were some awesome quirks on display. There was a super strength powered throw from a boy named Rikido Sato. Birds carried the ball away for Koji Koda. Uraraka just threw the ball normally and it kept on floating, higher and higher, until Aizawa sighed and showed them a score of infinity.

“Midoriya, you’re up next.”

Izuku stepped into the circle, tossing the ball up and down as he thought of what he could do. The ground beneath his feet didn’t feel like dirt, but it wasn’t paved like concrete. It was a reasonable to guess there was clay in there, probably sands, silts and other rocks as well. All simple compounds really, and more than enough to make what he needed. If he manipulated the carbon atoms, grabbed a few oxygen atoms and finished it off with hydrogen and spritz of nitrogen…

Izuku grinned and clapped his hands together. He slammed them against the ground. Blue electricity sparked and crackled around his hands as the cylindrical barrel of a cannon formed out of the ground. When he was done, he put the ball into it. He clapped once more and touched the cannon. There was a loud bang, the gunpowder he’d made igniting, shooting the ball far into the distance. It wasn’t quite as sturdy as an actual cannon, but when he got his score, it was still over 600 metres.

Izuku frowned. Aizawa was definitely scowling at him now and he had no idea why. He fixed the ground and went back in line. What had he done to annoy his teacher so much on the first day of class? He hadn’t done anything too different to his classmates. That girl Yaoyorozu made a bazooka to shoot hers, how was his cannon so different?

The rest of tests were uneventful. He couldn’t use alchemy to assist him with any of them. He was paired with the tailed blonde boy, Mashirao Ojiro, for the sit ups. He watched as Ashido topped everyone on the seated toe touch. The 2km distance run was hard. He ran alongside the spiky red head, Eijiro Kirishima, for most of it, only falling behind in the last 200 metres. He didn’t come in last though, which he was proud of.

It was only the first day, but Izuku felt exhausted. He hadn’t felt like this since he first started training with Teacher. They’d had P.E. in middle school, but that was only two hours a week and it was fairly light. This was intense, the threat of expulsion looming over their heads. Judging by how several of his classmates were quietly groaning or massaging limbs, he wasn’t the only one who pushed themselves hard.

“It would take too long to give individual scores so just look up your name here,” Aizawa said, clicking a button.

A screen appeared in the air in front of them showing a list of names ranked from 1 to 20. Izuku scanned for his name. Katsuki got 3rd, after Yaoyorozu and a boy called Shoto Todoroki. He’d been impressed with Todoroki’s quirk during the tests. The control over his ice was astonishing, but Izuku knew Katsuki wouldn’t be happy. He kept looking before finding his name. He’d come in 7th, coming behind Shoji and beating Ojiro. It wasn’t bad, his lacklustre scores in the distance run and the sit ups dragging down his high scores from the ball throw and grip test. No matter, this was just fuel for him to do better. When he caught Katsuki’s eye, he saw the same glint his eyes.

Izuku kept looking and saw that last place was Toru Hagakure, the girl who just looked like a set of floating gym clothes. She was trembling and Izuku couldn’t help but feel bad for her. As far as he could tell, her quirk was just invisibility, something which would be useful in heroics but didn’t help her at all in any of the tests. Everyone else had at least one good score whereas she performed average or less. Not bad by any means, but with the threat Aizawa gave them.

“As for last place … I lied, no-ones going home,” Aizawa grinned sadistically, “that was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all.”

There was a moment as that information washed over them before chaos broke out. Aizawa silenced it with a very pointed glare.

“It may have been a ruse now, but UA expects you to go beyond each and every day in order to succeed. Pros can’t afford to not give it their all. These next three years will not be a walk in the park, but by the time you graduate, you will be more than capable of handling yourself in the big wide world.”

Aizawa clicked another button and the screen turned off as the teacher started walking away.

“Pick up a syllabus from the classroom. You’re dismissed.”

When no other instructions were given, they made their way back to the changing rooms. They changed back into their school uniforms at a much more sedate pace than earlier. The boys locker room was filled with a low level of chatter as the boys introduced themselves to each other properly, discussed how they did in the tests and revelled in nobody being expelled. Izuku was too tired from the surprise test to pay much attention to it.

“That was super intense, don’t you think?” a blonde with a black streak in his hair, Denki Kaminari, said.

“No kidding. I feel bad for Hagakure. I’m sure she was close to crying,” Sato said.

“Still, it felt awesome getting to use our quirks like that!” Kirishima said excitedly, “the hero course is so cool!”

Izuku had already changed into his school trousers. He’d just pulled off his gym shirt, not really paying much attention, when he heard a low whistle.

“Woah dude. You’re totally ripped.”

Izuku jolted back to his attention to find Kaminari staring at him. Looking down, his undershirt had ridden up, revealing his belly.

“You’re super short and super muscly. No fair!” Kaminari whined.

A vein in Izuku’s face twitched. Katsuki snorted from across the room.

“Shorty!” he yelled at him.

“You shut your face boom boom boy!”

“Hey man chill out,” Kirishima said, slinging an arm across Kaminari’s shoulders, “I bet you pack a mean punch with those abs. You must have done some super intense training to have a body like that!”

Memories of Teachers training flashed across his mind and he just barely repressed a shudder. Intense was definitely one word for it.

“Probably not the best idea to piss off the guy who can pull a cannon out of the ground by calling him short,” the boy with the weird elbows, Sero, said, grinning at Kaminari.

“Nah! The nerds all bark and no bite,” Katsuki commented, pulling on his blazer.

“Says you who’s a literal pomeranian!” Izuku shot back.

“Says the human vegetable!”

“Pompom hair!”

“Best lawn competition!”

“I feel like an umpire needs to call 15 love or something,” Kaminari said, head shifting between Izuku and Katsuki as they traded insults.

“Bakugo, Midoriya, this behaviour is unbecoming of UA students!” Iida said sternly, getting between the verbal sparring match.

With a snort, Katsuki left the changing room. One by one the other boys followed after him. Kaminari ended up apologising for whatever had offended him but Izuku just waved him off. It hadn’t been that bad in the grand scheme of things. Izuku finished not long after and left to head back to the classroom. He’d not taken more than two steps when a bored voice called out to him.

“Midoriya.”

Izuku immediately whipped around to find Aizawa standing in the corridor. He had the same blank mask as before but there was something in his eyes which put Izuku on edge. It was like they were scanning every inch of him. They weren’t angry like before, as though whatever had annoyed him was fine now. Still, Izuku couldn’t help but tense up.

“Yes Mr Aizawa?”

“Come with me. We need to talk,” the man said before turning on the spot and walking away.

Izuku jolted and followed after him. The man kept a steady pace and didn’t respond when Izuku asked what he needed. The pro looked like he was thinking, but the more he thought the deeper and deeper his frown became. Izuku didn’t like it, but had no idea what he’d done to cause this reaction. They were walking away from the 1A classroom, and Izuku couldn’t help but feel like he was being led to the gallows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quickly realising that chapters with a flashback will probably be longer. Hope that's ok.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter.
> 
> Also let me know if I'd made any mistakes. I was in a bit of hurry when I posted this chapter so I don't know how great my editing was.


	4. You demand it but can't handle it

_In the past…_

It felt like the weather was taunting him. The day of Inko Midoriya’s funeral was greeted by bright sunshine and cloudless skies, not too warm, not too cold. It was perfectly pleasant but it did little to make Izuku feel better. On days like this, he would be begging his mother to let him play outside to the point where she’d have to drag him back in for meals and bedtime. Now he supposed he could still do that, but it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be his mother he would need to beg.

Izuku was kneeling in front of Mama’s headstone, dressed in an uncomfortable black suit. The Bakugo’s were stood a few paces behind him, letting him have this moment alone to say goodbye to his mother. He didn’t want to though! He wanted to go back home and tell her all about his day. He wanted her to smile and hug him, then make Katsudon and read him a story before bed. He just wanted his Mama back!

A pit was forming in his chest, growing larger and larger with each passing moment. It reminded him of when he was diagnosed as quirkless and the loneliness and anger that had come with it. Izuku never liked feeling like this, so he tried to think of what was causing it. Obviously he was angry his mother died. Obviously he was angry at how unfair everything was, but that couldn’t be all there was. That pain felt more like a dull ache clenching around his heart whenever he thought it had gone away. No, this was something else and it only took him a moment to figure out what it was.

He didn’t even come to her funeral!

Izuku didn’t have many memories of his dad. He could vaguely remember a tall man with the same green eyes as him. Mama always said he had to travel a lot for work, but Izuku hadn’t actually seen him since before he turned four. Whenever she spoke about him, Mama made it seem like he loved them both but Auntie and Uncle hadn’t been able to contact him. All the numbers they had listed were disconnected, there was no forwarding address and they couldn’t even find information on an employer. It was like Hisashi Midoriya just disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Izuku scowled. That man apparently loved them but he couldn’t even be bothered to show up when he was needed. Even if he did appear, Izuku wouldn’t want to go with him. The Bakugo’s had been fantastic. That day when they received the news, they’d held him and comforted him as he cried. They made him feel loved and supported when he felt like he had nothing left. Even Kacchan tried to make him feel welcome, doing his best to be more careful with his words to not upset him. Izuku really appreciated it and loved them all for it.

He heard a small crunch and felt a presence kneeling beside him.

“Izuku, it’s time to go now,” Auntie Mitsuki said softly.

He didn’t really want to go, but regardless he simply nodded and stood up, accepting the offered hand as Auntie Mitsuki led him away. Kacchan was holding onto one of Uncle Masaru’s hands and all of them had redder eyes than normal.

The drive back to the Bakugo house was completely silent, or at least Izuku thought it was. He was too far inside his own head to really pay much attention to what was going on around him. The rest of the day passed in a daze. At some point, Izuku changed out of the suit into a pair of pyjamas. They must have eaten because he didn’t feel quite as empty as before. When did he get tucked into bed? It was all so confusing so he chose to ignore it all. Only three thoughts kept bouncing around inside his head.

His dad didn’t care, his Mama was gone and there was nothing he could do about either of those.

The Midoriya house had already been completely paid off so they didn’t need to worry about rent. Izuku wasn’t sure what Auntie and Uncle planned to do with it. Apparently it had been left in Mama’s will to him, along with a reasonably large amount of savings, so it was ultimately up to him. For now, it was only being used for storage. They had cleared out the spare bedroom and turned it into Izuku’s room at the Bakugo house. Most of his stuff had been moved in already. Now, Izuku was putting the last of his dads alchemy notes in a box.

As terrible as he might have been for ignoring his own wife’s funeral, Izuku needed these books to continue his own study. Uncle Masaru had already put up several bookshelves in his new room for them, it was just a matter of moving them. When it was all finished, Izuku stepped out of his childhood home for what he thought would be the last time.

“How’re you feeling kiddo?” Auntie Mitsuki asked a week after the funeral.

Izuku shrugged. He was curled up on the couch reading an alchemy book, something which had been a common sight since he’d moved in. Auntie Mitsuki sat down next to him.

“I’m sure we could sign you up for a quirk gym like Katsuki, if you’d like?”

“Can’t.”

“Oh, right.”

There was a pause before she spoke again.

“We could try changing your registry. It might make things a little easier,” Auntie Mitsuki said.

Izuku sighed.

They did end up going to the registry office, who immediately sent them away, saying he needed to be evaluated by a quirk specialist before they’d let him change it. Auntie Mitsuki huffed, but made an appointment. Izuku wasn’t holding out much hope. The secretary at the registry office had practically sneered after hearing he wanted to change his registration from quirkless to something else.

The quirk specialist wasn’t much better. Izuku demonstrated some alchemy which certainly caught the doctors eye, until he heard that Izuku was quirkless. Then he seemed a lot less certain.

“So we’ve got the results back from the blood test and the x-ray that we took. I’m afraid I cannot sign off on the change in registry,” the doctor said.

“What do you mean? He obviously has a quirk!” Auntie Mitsuki said.

“Not according to the tests we did. I’m afraid I’m legally unable to make the change.”

Auntie Mitsuki huffed. On the way home, she complained about how they’d find a different specialist, that one obviously didn’t know what he was talking about. Izuku let her rant, and despite her making several phone calls she didn’t drag him out to any more appointments.

Whatever he ended up doing, he always came back to his alchemy books. Mama had praised him for his alchemy. She’d gushed at how quickly he was learning it. It made him feel special, just like all the kids at school after their quirk manifested for the first time. Even though the books were originally written by his dad, to Izuku they were what he had left of his mother, so why did he feel useless whenever he read them?

It was a horrible feeling. No matter what topic of alchemy it was, no matter how much it would have interested him before, and the topics were interesting, it didn’t matter. It seemed to fall into that great pit in his chest, right about where his mother used to live. It’d be swallowed whole, leaving Izuku feeling empty and stupid.

It all came back to the same thoughts. His mother had died and there was nothing he could do about it.

For all the power that alchemy gave him, he couldn’t even save Mama. Some hero he was supposed to be!

“Is this another reading day Izu?”

Izuku looked up to see the piercing red eyes of Kacchan staring down at him. The other boy was very obviously trying not to frown.

“Are you gonna get upset if I watch TV?” Kacchan asked.

His body language suggested he was going to do it anyway, but at least he was asking. Izuku shook his head and turned back to his book. He hadn’t really been paying attention to it anyway. It was something about tissues and stitching with lots of medical jargon, a branch of alchemy which Izuku hadn’t really looked at before and by the looks of it, neither had Dad. The TV would provide a welcome distraction. He might even dig out one of his old quirk notebooks.

Making his mind up, he went and got his latest notebook on quirks and heroes from his room. When he got back, Kacchan was scowling at the news like it had offended him. Izuku pretended to not notice the way he lit up and everything softened as he sat back down, quirk notebook in hand. It must have been a long time since he’d done this and Kacchan had missed it.

There weren’t a whole lot of hero fights on the news, nor any big debuts. There were a couple of smaller heroes who’d debuted assisting other heroes, a few more who were spotted on the street but hadn’t yet done anything newsworthy. Izuku made a quick note of their costumes to remind him later. Most of the news coverage was taken up by a feature on the top 3 heroes. All Might obviously captured Izuku and Kacchan’s attention. Endeavour was alright. He certainly was effective but he paled when compared to All Might. The programme announced that a new hero had taken the number 3 slot.

Best Jeanist had been steadily rising in the ranks for a few years. Last year he cracked the top 10, so getting to be number 3 was incredible. Izuku found his quirk fascinating. He loved to theorise about it because it was so versatile. He had a hard time thinking of how to counter it because, well, everyone wore clothes. Fighting him naked would be ineffective and would leave you open to attack from any supporting heroes. Maybe a costume made of many different kinds of fibres, so Best Jeanist couldn’t control them all at once? It would mean a costume would have to be made specifically to counter Best Jeanist, and again would leave the villain open to counter attack from any supporting heroes.

“Nerd.”

Kacchan’s voice was quiet, just above a whisper, and it made Izuku jump. Of course he’d muttered all that out loud. Kacchan wasn’t annoyed though. A small smile was on his face as he turned his attention back to the TV screen. He’d forgotten how fun quirk analysis could be. After the feature on the top 3, there was a piece on rescue heroes. Izuku scribbled down observations of the pro hero Thirteen during their interview. He was impressed on the segment on the Wild, Wild Pussycats, a hero team who debuted a couple years ago. All of their quirks were versatile, and the way they used them together to rescue people in the mountains was incredible.

Kacchan had pulled out his handheld game console when the news changed to a different story. Izuku was tempted to return to what he was reading before when something the reporter said caught his eye.

“… breakthrough in tissue regeneration...”

Izuku’s focus snapped to the TV. It was no longer reports on heroes, but on a new potential advancement in medical technology.

“We spoke to Dr Takeda of the I-Island biomedical research committee for more details.”

The screen changed to show an older woman with greying hair dressed in a white lab coat. She was facing to the left of the camera, obviously speaking to an interviewer.

“Medicine has certainly come a long way, both in terms of standard procedure and with the use of quirks. However there are still some limits. One of these is regeneration of tissue.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Say you lost an arm. Whether it’s natural healing or quirk healing, that arm isn’t coming back. Even the strongest healing quirks we have available are limited to the resources the body already has, they can’t remake what has been completely lost.”

“But aren’t there regeneration quirks out there that have been documented doing what you’ve described?”

“Exactly, there are, which is what we based this research on. We’ve been using the latest advancements in tissue culturing to grow new muscle cells and used quirks to bond that into a patients body whose muscles had atrophied. The combination of procedures allowed the patient to heal, with those grown cells becoming incorporated into the body. It’s something we haven’t been able to do before.”

A spark lit within Izuku. Possibilities swirled around inside his head as the story continued before being replaced by the evening weather. They needed to grow new cells for the body to use to heal and needed a quirk to allow the body to use them at all. From the book he was reading earlier, Izuku knew that alchemy could manipulate biological compounds, and since it was all chemistry in the end, he knew alchemy could easily make those cells from raw materials. It was all just equivalent exchange. If he wanted to, he could make an entirely new human body. If he could do that, then how hard would it be make that body for one particular person? It would just take the right transmutation, the right constructional formula. It was all so possible and more importantly, within his reach.

The spark became a fire, burning through the cobwebs and emptiness that had plagued him since her funeral. The path ahead was clear. It would be a difficult road but Izuku knew it would be worth it.

He was going to bring his mother back.

_Water, 35L. Carbon, 20kg._

It took years of study and practise for Izuku to even attempt what he had planned. He poured over his alchemy books, as well as any information he could find on the chemical make up of the human body. It wasn’t easy. Most sources listed things in terms of compounds such as proteins and fats. Izuku spent a lot of time researching the make up of these and calculating how much of each element was present.

_Ammonia, 4L. Lime, 1.5kg._

It was bitter work. Many times did Izuku nearly lose faith in his task and give into the temptation to throw it all away. What stopped him every single time was the picture of him and his mother on his bedside table. It was from his fifth birthday. Izuku was dressed in an All Might onesie, sitting on his mothers lap. She must have tickled him or something because the boy in the picture was laughing. His mothers warm smile made him feel safe even now. He was determined to get that back.

_Phosphorous, 800g. Salt, 250g._

His calculations were one thing. As good as his dads alchemy books were, Izuku knew they couldn’t teach him everything. He needed a teacher. He scoured the internet, looking for any sign that there was someone else out there using alchemy. There were a few heroes who could possibly fit, but they were either dead, too old to teach him, or lived on the other side of the world. It was pure chance that he managed to find someone not too far away. Convincing them to take him on as a student was an exercise in pure stubbornness, but it paid off. Auntie and Uncle quickly agreed.

_Saltpeter, 100g. Sulphur, 80g._

His teacher was a terrifying woman. Over the course of several months, she drilled into Izuku proper alchemical technique and discipline, as well as trained him in combat. Her philosophy was ‘train the body to train the mind’. Each lesson had multiple meanings. It was hard work and he had to push himself in ways he never had to before in his relatively comfortable life, but in the end, Izuku came away from the training feeling readier than ever.

_Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g._

He kept up the training regimen when he returned to the Bakugo’s. They were all impressed with the results. Kacchan took some of the same principles, though he had to modify them to suit his needs. It got to the point where the kids at school didn’t bother second guessing either of them when they said they were going to be heroes. The teachers still weren’t convinced about his ‘quirk’, and some of the students had doubts, but none of them could fault the effort he put in, even if they tried steering him away towards a ‘safer’ goal.

_Silicon, 3g. Trace amounts of fifteen other elements._

After 4 years of study and training, Izuku was finally ready.

The Midoriya house had been effectively abandoned since his mother died. Auntie and Uncle still maintained it but nothing really happened with it aside from being used occasionally for storage. It had been left to Izuku in the will and he would go there from time to time when he wanted to feel closer to her. It made the perfect spot for his task.

It had been a week since Uncle Masaru had cleaned so there was only a very thin layer of dust on everything when Izuku entered. The furniture was still in the same places so he could almost believe that nothing had ever happened, that his mother would walk through the door behind him after a long day of work. They’d have dinner together, talk about what they did that day, before going to bad. They’d be happy. Izuku shook away the unpleasant feelings those thoughts gave him and got to work.

He cleared a large area in the middle of the living room and made sure it was clean. He wasn’t going to risk anything going wrong. Once he was satisfied, Izuku began laying down his constructional formula. This had been a tricky thing. According to everything his dad had written, medical alchemy had the highest chance of rebounding. There were warnings about trying to perform alchemy on humans when unprepared but Izuku was not unprepared. He’d spent the last four years getting ready for this moment.

The ingredients hadn’t been all that difficult to obtain. Izuku was already good at saving money so he had more than enough without needing to tap into the money his mother had left him. It also helped that they were common things that could be bought without raising suspicion. Keeping it from Auntie and Uncle was simple enough, keeping it from Kacchan less so. Luckily, there were two 2 hour windows every week where Kacchan would go to a quirk gym to practise. More than enough time for Izuku to sneak around.

The transmutation circle was complicated. It needed to deconstruct, manipulate, reconstruct and fuse together many, many different elements. When it was done, Izuku began carefully pouring the ingredients into a large metal basin in the centre of the circle, being careful not to spill a single drop.

All that was left was the final ingredient.

Izuku had thought long and hard about this. It was all well and good making a human body, but he didn’t want just a human body. He wanted his mothers. The circle would only guide the energy of the transmutation, it was Izuku’s intention which would make it go how he wanted. If it had a template to follow, the process would be much smoother, meaning he needed a piece of his mother to add. The only thing available was Izuku himself.

Izuku made a small cut in his finger with a knife. He allowed one drop to fall into the basin before taking his position at the edge of the circle. His formula, the ingredients, his intention, all of it was correct.

“This is it,” he whispered to himself as he placed his hands on the edge of the circle.

Willing the energy to flow, the lines of the transmutation circle lit up with a bright blue glow. Izuku focused his will on his mother, channelling it through the piece of his DNA he’d added. The energy got brighter. The room filled with a strange pressure which made Izuku’s breath catch. The colours outside of the circle seemed to fade, replaced by a dull red aura that felt suffocating. Izuku kept his focus. He’d come too far to stop now!

Wisps of black smoke rose out of the outer rim of the circle. Izuku couldn’t help but watch as they swirled around him. The pressure got stronger and stronger, drawing his gaze back to the centre. Wait, had there always been that line down the middle? The metal basin and all the ingredients vanished in a puff of smoke as the line opened up, revealing a huge eyeball stretched across his transmutation circle.

“What the- AAH!”

Pain exploded in his right arm just as a second surge hit his left leg. Izuku toppled over, breaking his connection to the circle but the alchemical energy didn’t fade. In fact, it only got brighter. The pain started spreading. The wisps of smoke had formed tendrils, each with a small hand at the end. They were grasping at his arm and leg, pulling it apart.

“What is this? A rebound?”

The pain grew stronger as the energy shone brighter and brighter. Izuku clenched his teeth, swallowing his cry as he shut his eyes to shield them from the brightness.

All of a sudden, the pain was gone. He didn’t feel the ground beneath him any more. Was he … standing? Izuku opened his eyes. Instead of the glowing transmutation circle in his living room, Izuku was facing an enormous grey door. It was floating above the ground and had an intricate design of a tree with many branches and roots carved into it. Izuku stepped back from it, feeling the same kind of pressure coming off of it that he felt in his living room.

The door and Izuku were in an endless white void. Izuku racked his brain but nothing made sense. He’d never read about a rebound like this, and if this was a rebound, what had gone wrong? He was sure he hadn’t made a mistake in his calculations. Everything should have been correct.

“Hello.”

Izuku jumped, whipping around to find the source of the voice. Sitting on the ground a few feet away from him was a pale grey figure, featureless except for a large mouth on its head. It was outlined by an aura of dark smoke, making it stand out against the empty void around them.

“Who are you?” Izuku asked.

The figure grinned.

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked. I have so many names. I am the world, the universe. I’m god. I am the truth.”

“I am all and I am one.”

The figure pointed its finger at him.

“And I am also you!”

Izuku felt the words lance through him like a spear. A deep rumbling sound filled the space around him and Izuku felt the pressure building behind him. The door had opened. Staring back at him was the same enormous eye that had appeared in his transmutation circle. This time however, it felt that much more dangerous.

“You dared to knock on the door. Now, the door is open.”

Black tendrils coiled out of the open door, each one reaching its tiny hand at Izuku. Fear flooded through him as he turned to run away. He didn’t get more than a few steps before the tendrils wrapped around him. He was yanked through the air screaming towards the door. Izuku fought and struggled. He didn’t know what was happening but he knew that if he went through the door then he might not come out of it again.

“Quiet child. This is what you wanted.”

No! This isn’t what he wanted! The door was closing. Izuku reached out, desperate for someone to come and save him, but nobody came. The tendrils only got tighter, pulling him in further.

“I will show you the truth.”

The door slammed shut. Izuku was thrown into darkness. The tendrils held onto him as a swirl of lights flew around him. Izuku couldn’t look away. Images and visions passed in front of his eyes. He saw Mama cooking dinner, Kacchan playing with action figures. Teacher grinning and Auntie smirking. His head was pounding. It felt like he was going to explode but no matter how much he tried to pull away from what he was being shown, the tendrils kept him watching.

“It’s too much! Please make it stop!”

His entire being was being torn apart at the seams. He simultaneously wanted to hold his breath and scream. The pounding got worse, everything was holding on by a thread, before there was a flash and everything became clear. In that clarity, Izuku could see straight ahead of him. The figure was there, but this time it wasn’t featureless. This time it was…

“Mom!” Izuku cried out, reaching for her.

Mom smiled, holding her hand out to him. Izuku reached and reached, pushing against his unravelling to get just that extra inch closer to her. She was so close! Almost there! Almost…

Izuku was back in the white void, his hand still reaching out for his mother. She wasn’t there. The figure from before was still sitting, not having moved an inch. The door behind him was closed. The pounding in his head had stopped, leaving in its place … knowledge. Izuku seemed to know so much more than he did before.

“So? How was it?”

Izuku looked back at the door. Connections were made in his mind as he placed his hands on the surprisingly warm stone.

“I didn’t make a mistake. I just missed something but it’s possible, and all the answers are on the other side of this door,” Izuku mused before grinning and turning back to the figure, “please, show it to me again!”

“I can’t do that.”

The figure was standing now. The change in position made Izuku uneasy.

“Why not?”

“I’ve already shown you all I can for the toll you’ve paid.”

Izuku didn’t like the sound of that.

“What toll?” he asked.

“Why this of course!”

Flesh appeared on the figures right arm and left leg. At the same time, Izuku heard a sickening crunch in his same limbs. Looking down, his right arm and left leg were disintegrating, falling apart before his very eyes. It was accompanied by a dull throbbing which slowly began building. Izuku whimpered. Feeling a presence looming over him, Izuku looked up to see the figure standing right in front of his face.

“This is the law of equivalent exchange,” it said with a huge grin, “isn’t that right, young alchemist?”

The throbbing built and built. The white in the void grew brighter in time with his quickening breathing. Everything exploded at once and Izuku screamed.

He was back in his living room. All he could feel was pain. All he could hear was the sound of his screaming and the crackling of the transmutation. Izuku rolled onto his side. His right arm was gone, not even a stump, and he tried desperately to stop the slow bleeding with his remaining hand. His leg wasn’t much better, cut off just above the knee.

“Somebody help me. Somebody, please!” Izuku whimpered.

The room grew dark. Izuku’s focus was drawn away from his pain and onto the centre of his transmutation circle, the lines no longer glowing now that the reaction had finished.

“Mom?”

The thing in the centre moved, but it was not Inko Midoriya. Blackened skin pulled tight over thin bones uncurled, revealing spindly limbs and ribs enclosing nothing. The head lolled backwards, barely supported by the neck. Blood seeped out from underneath it as one of the arms reached towards him. It made a few rattling sounds that might have been breathing until, like a puppet with its strings cut, it suddenly went limp.

Izuku stared at the thing. The weight of everything that happened settled onto him, pushing him down, down into the pit he thought he’d filled with righteous determination. It danced inside him with the pain. They piled on top of each other as he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“This is wrong. This isn’t … I didn’t want this!”

Guilt hit him like a sledgehammer, breaking down the last of whatever strength he’d had. The people that found him had to break down the door. When they did, they didn’t find a courageous hero. They found a child screaming in pain and terror at what he’d done.

* * *

_In the present…_

Izuku tried to make it his business not to be freaked out by stuff. After what he’d seen, there wasn’t much that he could say he was truly scared of. Could he be frightened? Yes. Could he be unnerved or could he lose his cool? Absolutely, but he tried not to be outright scared. He didn’t always succeed but it helped him keep moving forward. All that being said, Izuku couldn’t help but feel more and more nervous as Aizawa led him through the corridors of UA.

It was the way the man didn’t say anything else after his instruction to follow him, combined with the way he didn’t even look back to see if Izuku had listened. He held himself with total confidence that when he told someone to do something, that something would be done or there would be hell to pay. The man just kept on going, seemingly unphased as the world almost seemed to bend to his will around him.

It was … unsettling.

“Mr Aizawa, what’s this about?”

“Not here,” was all Aizawa said.

They went up a few flights of stairs and down a few more corridors. Izuku tried remembering the map he’d seen on the registration email to guess where he was but he kept drawing a blank. UA was set up like a maze. Any villain attempting to break in would have a very difficult time finding their way around, easily buying time for the pros who knew the layout to find them. Izuku felt like a rat in a maze, being marched to see the scientists.

They approached a wooden door with a large plaque. ‘Principal Nezu’. Izuku jolted, coming to a halt with a screech of his shoes. The noise caught Aizawa’s attention and the man looked back at him. Izuku’s heart was racing. What on Earth had he done to send him to the principals office on the very first day?

“Come on Midoriya,” Aizawa said, gesturing for him to keep going.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on? Surely if you were going to expel me, you’d have done it by now without dragging it out like this,” Izuku said.

“We just need to discuss a few things. The principal is the only one with access to your complete file so it would be easier for all of us if he was present.”

Izuku didn’t like the answer, but even from the brief time he’d spent with the man, he knew not to push Aizawa too much. The frown on his face was set as he followed the man into the room.

Principal Nezu was … a surprise. Izuku had heard that he was an animal, but reading about it was a whole different experience to seeing him in person. Nezu was smaller than Izuku but the way his beady black eyes fixed onto him as soon as he entered the room put him on edge, like a predator with its sights on its prey. The too practised smile on his face didn’t help either.

“Greetings. Am I dog or a mouse or a bear? The only important thing is … I’m the principal!” Nezu said in a light tone.

If Izuku had to guess, he’d say Nezu had parts of all three. There were aspects of all three animals present, combined together and all the seams smoothed away so it looked flawless except the scar across Nezu’s right eye. It was almost like a chimera, something Izuku had read about in his dads books.

“Why yes, that is an accurate assessment of my species,” Nezu said with a chuckle.

Izuku was sure he’d barely made a sound, but then he caught Nezu’s ears twitching. Right, animals have better hearing than humans.

“I’m glad that one of our first years has a keen mind, though I’m sure that isn’t the reason that Aizawa has brought you here,” Nezu said.

“It isn’t,” Aizawa said, gesturing to one of the seats in front of Nezu’s desk.

Izuku took it and Aizawa took the other. He couldn’t help but be tense, scanning his eyes over both Aizawa and Nezu to try and find any clue as to what they were thinking. They remained infuriatingly unexpressive, but then Aizawa sighed.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Aizawa said, facing Izuku and giving him his full attention, “you have a lot of potential as a hero Midoriya. You’ve shown a good grasp on your power and obviously haven’t slacked off in your physical conditioning either.”

Izuku blinked. Why was he complimenting him?

“Which is why I want to understand now, rather than find out you’ve been lying for months.”

“Lying?” Izuku asked.

“I want to know why you lied on your official documentation,” Aizawa said.

“You think I’m lying?”

“It’s either you’re lying about your quirk or you are impressively cheating the system. After today, it could be either one and I can’t say for certain which one I’d prefer.”

“Mr Aizawa, I can assure you that I haven’t lied on my paperwork, and I sure as hell haven’t been cheating!”

Aizawa took a moment before speaking again.

“I like to think I’m a logical man Midoriya. I watched a young man wield an impressive quirk during his entrance exam, only to find out that he is registered as quirkless. This was confirmed by your medical records. I know Nezu wouldn’t let something like that slip past his notice, so I wanted to confirm it myself in the quirk assessment test. You showed you had a quirk. My quirk should have been able to erase yours, yet I couldn’t. Tell me, what else am I supposed to think, other than you lied about being quirkless or you were having someone else make it look like you were using a quirk?”

Izuku felt like ice cold water was poured down his back. He simultaneously felt like screaming, punching something, throwing something off the roof or just sulking in his room. Instead, he settled for groaning loudly and running his hands down his face.

“That stupid law again,” he muttered venomously.

Aizawa obviously didn’t like his tone as a small frown appeared on his face.

“I’m not lying,” Izuku said before Aizawa could even open his mouth, “all my records are correct. Legally, I’m completely quirkless.”

“Obviously not,” Aizawa said.

“Because you actually have a brain Mr Aizawa. Too bad the law makes it impossible for someone like me to change it.”

“You mean to say you were misdiagnosed as quirkless and haven’t changed your registry in the last ten years?”

“Let’s look at a hypothetical scenario shall we?” Izuku said.

“Just get to the poi-.”

“Too bad, this is important,” Izuku cut him off, “let’s say your quirk was originally registered when you were four as glowing red eyes. Turns out though that there’s more to it than that. You discover that you can actually erase peoples quirks, with the red eyes as a side effect. Tell me, what would you do to have your registry changed?”

“Seriously?” Aizawa asked, side-eyeing Nezu who gave him a nod.

Aizawa sighed.

“I’d take myself to the quirk registry office and ask to change my registration. It would take 15 minutes at most.”

“Correct!” Izuku said, an almost feral grin appearing on his face, “now to change it up. Let’s say you were originally diagnosed quirkless instead. Turns out you do actually have a quirk, the power to erase quirks by looking at someone. Tell me, what would you do to have your registry changed?”

“I’d take myself to the quirk registry office and ask to change my registration. It would take 15 minutes at most,” Aizawa said, looking more annoyed this time.

“Wrong!”

Izuku was getting flashbacks to middle school and the substitute teacher who’d tried calling him lazy because he hadn’t changed his details. Aizawa probably wouldn’t cry like she had, but he’d still get a kick out of watching him squirm because he’s wrong.

“What are you talking about?” Aizawa said.

“I was originally diagnosed as quirkless when I was a kid, which means I have to jump through a whole bunch of moronic hoops if I want to change my registration. Apparently quirkless people are way too useless for society to suddenly allow them to be useful,” Izuku said.

“But you obviously have a quirk,” Aizawa said, “I don’t understand how you could do what you do and still be considered quirkless.”

“I believe I did say moronic. Good news though, you have more brain cells than most politicians do!”

Alchemy isn’t a quirk, but he let it go. For the purpose of this discussion it didn’t matter. Izuku grinned before his face turned serious.

“If your original diagnosis is quirkless, you need to pass at least one of two tests to determine that you’re not lying about it, regardless of demonstrable power. I have no quirk factor in my blood and the only pinky toe I have left has two joints. I don’t pass either test so I’m legally not able to change my registration. In the eyes of the law, I’m still a quirkless loser, but I’m also one who doesn’t appreciate being called a liar or a cheat.”

“So you mean to tell me that you can pull a cannon out of the ground, make weapons out of nothing, completely fry the electronics of a giant robot with you bare hands, and still can’t change your quirk registry because of a law passed decades ago?”

“Pretty much,” Izuku said with a shrug.

Aizawa scrubbed both hands down his face and groaned loudly.

“Principal Nezu, why are politicians so dumb?”

Nezu chuckled.

“For all my intelligence, I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” he said, “when I saw your medical paperwork, I had a feeling something like this would be the case.”

“And you let me walk right into it anyway?” Aizawa said, glaring at the principal.

“Of course! I wanted to see how you’d handle the complicated legal reality presented by your student!”

Aizawa groaned again.

“Right, we’ll need to schedule Midoriya to see Recovery Girl. She has a license to evaluate quirks, and even if we can’t change his registry we can at least make sure there’s a record of it somewhere.”

Aizawa faced Izuku.

“And you, two things. Firstly, I apologise for implying you were lying or cheating. I had my reasons but that doesn’t excuse my actions,” he said.

Izuku raised an eyebrow. In his experience, teachers usually fell into two categories with him. They either tried to ignore that he was ‘quirkless’ or they tried to ignore his ‘quirk’, usually depending on which they saw first: his registry file or him using alchemy. Regardless, they never apologised for making a mistake like Aizawa was doing.

“And secondly, we have an assignment in the second semester to discuss an aspect of hero law which had unintended consequences. Everything you just said here today, write that up and flesh it out a little bit, and I’ll give a 100%.”

Now both eyebrows shot up.

“Seriously!”

“Yes seriously. I can tell now from how you talked about it that this isn’t the first time you’ve had a conversation like this, nor is this all you have to say on the topic either. It’d be a shame to let that go to waste by allowing it to sit and wait. This isn’t mandatory though, you don’t have to do it. I just thought you might like an outlet for this particular grudge.”

Izuku was … slightly shocked. This conversation hadn’t gone how he thought it would, and Aizawa was not what he thought he was. Ok, yes the man was strict and unyielding when he teaches, but it seemed like he wasn’t immune from making mistakes but he had the courage to openly admit to it, not just to his student but to his boss.

“We can finish here for now. Again I’d like to apologise for my accusations,” Aizawa said.

“No, that’s fine. I mean it didn’t feel great, but I’m honestly more surprised you're actually admitting anything. Usually my teachers would have denied it all and brushed it aside. I figured you’d do the same.”

Aizawa scowled.

“Then those teachers are idiots. You can’t learn if you don’t own up to what you do wrong. This is true of everyone, students and teachers alike. It’s also something you’ll have drilled into your skull every single day here at UA.”

“In that case, I’d better go get prepared for it,” Izuku said, standing up.

He bowed and said goodbye to the two teachers. As he was leaving the principals office, he heard a comment from Nezu about how Aizawa’s quirk didn’t work on him and heard how the teacher groaned again. Was that the sound of a head hitting a table?

To his surprise, Katsuki was waiting for him by the school gates. The meeting hadn’t taken as long as he thought, but Katsuki always hated having to wait. Sure enough, the blonde didn’t look too happy as they finally left their first day of UA.

“What’d Teach want with you?” Katsuki asked when they were on the train.

“Just wanted to clear up some confusion about my paperwork,” Izuku said.

“You make him cry like that sub from middle school?” Katsuki said with a smirk.

“No but I think I made him wallow in the stupidity of the government alongside me.”

“Truly a terrifying place to be.”

“I know, they’re all idiots.”

“No, I meant sharing any space with you, nerd.”

“Kacchan! We live together! We literally share a bathroom!”

“Exactly. Truly terrifying.”

The evening of the first day was a busy affair. Auntie Mitsuki peppered them with questions, demanding to know every single detail about what they did. Uncle Masaru was calmer about it, like usual, but Izuku could tell he was just as curious. They both talked about the quirk assessment they’d done. Katsuki gloated about how he got better than Izuku, then pouted when it was pointed out that he’d come in third. Auntie Mitsuki looked ready to sue when Izuku told her about what Aizawa asked him about, though she seemed satisfied with his reasoning and apology. All in all, it was a nice end to an eventful day.

The rest of the week passed by in an incredibly ordinary fashion. It was easy to forget with all the glamour and prestige, but UA was still a high school, and even the hero students had to take core classes. The exciting thing about them was that they were all taught by pro heroes. With each lesson, Izuku was vibrating in his seat as a new pro took the teachers podium.

“Yes Izuku, I am very aware that that is Present Mic.”

“Nerd, just ask the stupid teacher if the cement needs to be particular brand!”

“Goddammit! Shut up or I will take Snipes gun and beat you with it!”

So he may have annoyed Katsuki a _few_ times with his muttering but how could he not! He had so many questions about what they could do with their quirks. Studying alchemy gave him a thirst for knowledge on how things worked. Quirks were inherently mysterious in that regard, so of course they held Izuku’s attention despite not having one himself and alchemy taking up a lot of research time.

The lessons the pros were teaching them were all well and good, but they were still just ordinary high school classes. Izuku could tell when he looked around the rest of the class that they were all getting antsy. They were all waiting for Thursday, when they would have their first practical heroics lesson, and if rumours were to be believed, they would be taught by…

“I AM...”

Izuku grinned at the familiar voice.

“HERE! Coming through the door like a hero!”

All Might burst through the door, leaning into the room while holding onto the frame. The hero was dressed in his silver age costume: a red and blue body suit with a yellow belt, boots and gauntlets, and a large blue cape. He strutted across the front of the classroom. Izuku heard many of his classmates gushing about him but he didn’t blame them. He was too in awe to speak, and he could tell by the way he sat up slightly that even Katsuki was excited.

“This is the most important class at UA, well at least for you guys. Fundamental heroics! It is here that you will learn the basics of what it means to be a pro hero, so let’s get into it! First lesson, battle training!” All Might announced, holding a notecard with ‘battle’ written in big letters.

Izuku didn’t even need to see it to know Katsuki was grinning like a madman. He wasn’t much better. Fighting, with and without alchemy, was something he’d had a lot of practise with.

“Of course, one of the keys to being a pro is looking good!” All Might pressed a button on a remote.

From the wall, four compartments opened. Each one contained five numbered cases, one for each student.

“You each submitted a request form along with your enrolment paperwork. A design company took these and your quirk registration to produce something worthy of being worn by a hero!”

Everyone was even more excited now. All Might flashed them a huge smile and a thumbs up.

“Everyone suit up and meet me at Ground Beta!”

The students shot out of their seats. Some were desperate to get their case, while others were more content to wait for the rush to be over. Izuku was in the latter category. He’d had a ton of fun designing his costume. He and Katsuki had done it all the time as kids. Over the years, their designs had become more and more refined as they’d figured out their fighting styles and how best to work with their powers. Izuku didn’t need much so he knew his was likely to be one of the simplest in the class, but he didn’t mind. He got his case and hurried to the boys changing room.

The other boys were too engrossed in their costumes to notice him, but Izuku still kept an eye out while he changed. Luckily, his costume included long pants and long sleeves so his arm and leg should be covered. Sure enough, given its simplicity, he was one of the first finished so he took a moment to take in the look. The lower half was black trousers with black leather boots. He wore a long sleeved black jacket with white trim connected at the top with a button, showing the black shirt underneath. His belt had pouches containing chalk and small bits of paper, perfect for on the fly transmutation circles. Finishing the costume were his usual white gloves and a bright red, long sleeved hooded cloak which came down to his mid thigh. All in all, Izuku thought he looked quite good.

Most of the other boys were still getting changed. Katsuki was looking over his large grenade shaped gauntlets. Wait, were Iida and Aoyama putting on actual suits of armour? Not wanting to disturb anyone, Izuku left to meet All Might at the entrance to Ground Beta. When he arrived, he found that he wasn’t the first one there.

“Hey man! Cool costume!”

Kirishima ran up to him and Izuku had to very quickly look away and will himself not to blush. No wonder the boy was so quick to get changed. Aside from the gear like pads on his shoulder, he was basically completely shirtless.

“I know right. Nice coat dude!” Kaminari said, walking over to them as well.

Kaminari was dressed like Izuku in simple clothes. The only thing which screamed hero about it were the white lightning bolt highlights against the black of his jacket and trousers.

“Guess everyone else had a more complicated design. It’s just us and Tokoyami at the moment,” Kirishima said, gesturing behind him.

The bird headed teen was leaning against the wall. His costume appeared to be a black cloak which fell to his knees, completely covering his body. He nodded at Izuku when they made eye contact but didn’t try speaking to them.

“I’m sure the rest’ll be here soon. There were a few more who were nearly done when I left,” Izuku said.

“This is gonna be so awesome,” Kaminari said, practically vibrating.

The three continued chatting as the rest of their classmates arrived. A lot of the costumes were flashy but some definitely stood out. Katsuki looked as imposing as ever. Todoroki had his left side completely covered in ice, but Izuku guessed that it was likely fake. Iida and Aoyama were in deed wearing suits of armour. The girls all arrived in a big group and Izuku had to look away again when he saw Yaoyorozu’s costume. Seriously, how were these people so comfortable showing off that much skin. Katsuki just smirked at his discomfort.

“My my, you all look so cool!” All Might said, “make no mistake. You are now officially heroes in training!”

“All Might sir!” Iida said, raising a hand straight in the air, “this is the same area where we took the entrance exam. Will we be doing more urban battles today?”

“Not quite. We’re going to take a few steps forward and go beyond! Today, you’ll be trying out indoor combat through a hero vs villains exercise in pairs!”

“Now listen here you newbies,” All Might said, the few voices that had started up went silent as the class focused on the teacher, “most fights you see on TV are outdoors. However, statistically speaking, most villain fights happen indoors or in tight enclosed spaces such as alleyways. That is why you will be put into pairs and engage in 2 on 2 combat against the opposing team but remember! This isn’t like the entrance exam. Just as in the world of pros, those will be real people on the other end of your attacks.”

“How will you be determining teams?” Iida asked.

“What about basic training?” Asui asked.

“Teams will be determined by lots, as will the order that the teams go in. As for basic training, if everything was equal then that is what we’d be doing. However, you’ve all come to UA with varying levels of skill, both in terms of quirk control and combat training. As such, this exercise will be just as much for me to see what you can do as it is for you yourself.”

“Now, let’s get going!”

The exercise was relatively simple. Two teams, heroes and villains. The heroes win by capturing or incapacitating the villains, or by securing the bomb hidden in the building. The villains win by capturing or incapacitating the heroes, or by defending the bomb until time runs out. Izuku thought through what he could do with alchemy as he picked up a ball labelled with a large A.

“Hey, Midoriya!”

Uraraka was waving at him, showing off an identical ball.

“Guess we’re on the same team,” she said, “your costume looks cool.”

“Looks like it and thank you. You’re costume looks cool as well.”

She was in a pink and black bodysuit with an astronaut like helmet. Uraraka smiled, rubbing the back of her head.

“I wasn’t too specific with my request so it’s a bit more skin tight than I expected.”

“No worries, it’ll make moving around a bit easier,” Izuku said.

“Thanks. It’ll probably just take a bit of getting used to.”

“Now then!” All Might announced, “the first teams to go are ... these guys! Team A will be the heroes and team D will be the villains!”

Izuku looked over the room. Katsuki was in team D alongside Iida. The blonde didn’t look happy with his partner, though a feral grin appeared on his face when he heard he’d be fighting Izuku.

“You’re going down nerd!”

“In your dreams sparkles!”

All Might led them to a building in the mock city. Katsuki and Iida entered the building, and All Might announced they had five minutes to prepare. Izuku looked over the building layout. There were plenty of rooms on the second floor with no windows, but they were all fairly small. Katsuki also knew that Izuku wouldn’t be stopped by something as simple as a wall.

“All Might’s every bit as awesome in person as he is on TV!” Uraraka said.

“Sure is. It’s kind of surreal.”

“I know! At least he’s not threatening to expel us or anything,” Uraraka said, “so do you have any ideas?”

“A few but they’re more vague outlines at this point. The only thing I know for certain is that Kacchan’s gonna come straight for me,” Izuku said.

“Kacchan?”

“Bakugo.”

“How come?”

“We kind of have a rivalry thing going on. I beat him at scrabble last night and I think he took it personally. Besides, he’s wanted the chance to go all out on me for years.”

“Seriously!”

“Oh yeah, triple word score and everything.”

“Ok, well, I guess I’ll go for the bomb then if you can distract Bakugo,” Uraraka said, “if you win, you can back me up!”

Uraraka quickly explained her quirk. Izuku wanted to ask her so many questions but he was interrupted by a voice booming into the comm in his ear.

“Hero team! You may enter the building! The exercise starts now!”

Izuku clapped his hands together. A platform grew under them, letting them immediately step onto the first floor, bypassing the ground floor completely. Izuku made sure to step as lightly as he could, now very glad he oiled his joints every morning. He strained his ears trying to hear anyone approaching them. They cleared the first floor and moved up to the second.

“We should split up,” Izuku whispered, before throwing his hand up.

He’d heard something. A small squeak, like a shoe against the ground. Instinct took over. Izuku jumped backwards, pushing Uraraka out of the way just as Katsuki leapt around the corner. The blonde slammed into where they had just been with an explosion, quickly following it up with another. Izuku took the blast to his right arm, using that to kick Katsuki in the gut and knocking him back.

“Now we finally find out who’s better,” Katsuki said, his usual smirk looking more genuine than normal.

Good, Izuku thought, glad he’s enjoying himself. Izuku got into a ready stance, focusing solely on Katsuki. Uraraka would have to handle herself, so long as he could give her a chance to get away. There was barely a twitch before Katsuki launched himself forward. Izuku conjured a wall, blocking off his path.

“Uraraka! Go!” Izuku yelled.

The girl turned and ran just as the wall was blasted. Katsuki flew through, taking a swing at him. It was a right hook, Katsuki’s favoured strike and one that Izuku had seen him use many times. It was simple enough to step around it, allowing him to swing Katsuki over his shoulder and slam him into the ground.

Katsuki hit the ground with a loud thud. Izuku jumped backwards, clapping his hands together and pressing them into the floor. Katsuki was quicker though. Chains sprung out of the ground, intending to wrap him up, but the blonde had already jumped to his feet and avoided it.

“You’re gonna have to better than that nerd!”

“Likewise Kacchan. A right hook, seriously? What are we in middle school?”

The pair charged at each other. In quirkless hand to hand combat, Izuku was better. Katsuki was no slacker though and he had his explosions to back up his impacts. If they kept it at close range, Izuku would probably win but the problem was that Katsuki’s quirk allowed him to easily move between close and mid range. However, Izuku’s constructs could easily block or deflect Katsuki’s ranged attacks. It was a delicate dance between the two of them.

Katsuki flew forward with an explosion powered charge. Izuku erected a barrier but Katsuki changed trajectory, flying over his head. Another quick transmutation and the barrier became a shield strapped to his right arm. Izuku swung around and blocked the explosion, shattering his hasty construct. Izuku didn’t let up. He chased Katsuki down, weaving around the explosions and forcing the blonde back with a flurry of punches and kicks.

Katsuki glare grew harder and harder. He didn’t like being on the back foot but Izuku didn’t let up. It was only when Katsuki managed to get both of his hands in front of him that the pace changed. Izuku jumped backwards, dodging the large explosion, then jumped back again. His prediction proved fruitful as Katsuki lunged out of the smoke to blast where he had just been standing.

“Midoriya?” Uraraka said in his ear.

“What is it?” Izuku said through gritted teeth.

Katsuki lunged forward again. Izuku created a quarterstaff from one of the walls and held him at bay for a moment.

“I’ve found the bomb but I think Iida’s onto me. He’s cleared out anything I could use my quirk on.”

“Where are you?” Izuku asked.

When she told him, he consulted his mental map. That would work, he thought.

“Hold tight, I’ll try and get under you. Do your best to get the bomb or get Iida. Either one will allow us to win,” Izuku said, barely dodging a blast from Katsuki.

If he was right, the bomb was in a room two corridors away on the floor above them. He’d never be able to just run, but he could definitely guide the fight that way. Izuku fell back, making a good show of being tired and overwhelmed by Katsuki’s attack. The blonde didn’t look as if he entirely believed it but he followed anyway, not letting up in case it was genuine.

Izuku guessed they only had a few minutes left so when he saw the door to the correct room, he sprinted the last few meters and dived inside. The room was empty and unfortunately the ceiling was high enough that it would be difficult to reach. Izuku had just clapped his hands together when he realised he was forgetting one important detail.

“Don’t run away from our fight dumbass!”

Katsuki was in doorway. One arm was raised, while the other had a finger looped around the pin of the gauntlet aimed right at him. Izuku slammed his hands to the floor just as the pin was released. A barrier rose out of the ground and Izuku saw Katsuki look shocked as a large plume of fire erupted out of the gauntlet. It smashed into his barrier, which mostly held. Part of it crumbled however, and felt the fabric of his right sleeve was torn apart.

“Izu!”

Izuku peered around his barrier. Katsuki was braced against the door frame, massaging his shoulder.

“Obviously I’m not gonna do that again All Might!” Katsuki yelled, seemingly at nothing.

Izuku guessed he had just been told off by the hero.

“Midoriya, are you alright?” Uraraka asked.

“I’m fine. I’m right under you, how are things up there?”

“Not good. Iida’s too fast! I can’t get close to him!”

“Hold tight and be ready,” Izuku said, stepping around his barrier.

Katsuki was glaring at him.

“Alright nerd. You good to keep going?”

“Definitely.”

Part of a plan formed in his head. They charged at each other once more. Katsuki swung with his right arm and for once Izuku didn’t bother guessing whether it was a feint or not. Instead, he suddenly stopped and pivoted. He used the rapid change in momentum to swing out his right arm to bat away Katsuki’s attack. Following through, he continued his spin, ducking beneath Katsuki’s attempt to counter and driving his left elbow into Katsuki’s gut.

Katsuki doubled over and Izuku took his chance. He ran back and vaulted up off his barrier. With a clap, he touched the ceiling. A patch of ceiling lit up with blue sparks of energy before exploding upwards. Make use of that distraction Uraraka, he thought, and the weapons it’s given you.

Katsuki was standing back up as Izuku fell back down. He held his fists together like he was going for a slam. Katsuki was still dazed from the blow to the gut and raised both arms to block. Izuku couldn’t help but smirk. He subtly clapped his hands together. Instead of smashing his fists, Izuku slapped one palm onto each of Katsuki’s gauntlets. Alchemical energy wreathed over them both and they were deconstructed into small pieces. Katsuki growled, igniting his palms and blasting Izuku away. He’d taken away two very prominent weapons from the other teen, but Katsuki was still a formidable opponent on his own.

Izuku constructed an ornate quarterstaff from the floor and readied it. Katsuki watched him before lowering his stance. Small explosions popped in his palms as both of them waited for the other to make a move. Izuku could vaguely hear the sounds of fighting above them. Together, Izuku and Katsuki braced themselves to charge.

“HERO TEAM WINS!”

Izuku jolted at All Might’s loud voice in his ear. It was quickly replaced by Uraraka happily babbling that they won, until she cut herself off. Katsuki looked angry, but Izuku couldn’t tell if it was because he’d lost or if it was because they hadn’t been able to finish their fight. Slowly, Izuku dropped his quarterstaff and held his hands up, keeping his gaze fixed on Katsuki. The blonde fumed for a moment before holding up his own hands with a huff. A few seconds passed and they both relaxed, hands dropping.

“Damn it! I was so close to beating you!” Katsuki said.

“I guess we’ll have to finish this off some other time.”

“Yeah, without some stupid exercise to distract us,” Katsuki said.

The two exited the building. Uraraka and Iida appeared just after them. They both looked a little banged up but otherwise seemed fine.

“Midoriya, I can’t believe we won!” Uraraka said, trailing off slightly at the end, “um, are you alright?”

Izuku glanced down. His costume was singed in a few places and the sleeves and pant legs were pretty torn. No doubt he’d leave school today with a multitude of bruises but he’d be fine after he sees Recovery Girl.

“Yep, all good here,” he said, before suddenly perking up when he remembered something, “hey Kacchan, looks like I won again.”

“Technicalities don’t count!” Katsuki shot back immediately.

The walk back to the observation room was mostly silent except for a few comments between Izuku and Katsuki. He missed the looks Uraraka and Iida were giving him. They arrived back at the observation room and were immediately met with a cacophony of noise.

“That was awesome!” Kirishima said.

“It was insane! I could barely even follow Bakugo and Midoriya’s fight!” Kaminari said.

“It did seem rather personal though,” Asui said, one finger resting against her mouth.

“Thanks guys!” Izuku said.

The noise died out too quickly for it to be entirely natural. His classmates all seemed to be giving him strange looks, but Izuku glanced down again and couldn’t see anything that would warrant that reaction.

“Well done everyone,” All Might said, usual cheer mostly there but Izuku could tell he was distracted, “unless anyone needs to see Recovery Girl immediately, we’ll begin the review.”

A few people gave Izuku pointed looks while others tried not to look at him. Izuku was slowly coming down off his adrenaline high, allowing him to think more clearly but he still couldn’t tell what they were so fixated on. Yeah, his costume was torn up but it only looked bad. It’s not as if he’d broken … his … arm …

“Young Midoriya, are you alright?” All Might asked.

Izuku looked down again. The sleeves of his cloak and jacket had been torn from blocking explosions, exposing the normal skin of his left arm and the grey metal of his right. His pants had fared better, but they were ripped enough to show that his left leg was also metal while his right leg wasn’t. Suddenly, the weird looks made sense.

“Oh right. That.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How long is too long for a chapter? I'll leave that one to the philosophers.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> Apologies for not updating sooner. I use my laptop to work from home and these last couple of weeks I've had to leave programs running over night which ate up my laptops processing power. That should be sorted going forward so fingers crossed I can update quicker.


	5. What happens after

_In the past…_

What happened next Izuku was only vaguely aware of. He rolled onto his back, his left arm ( _oh god, his only arm_ ) reaching across to press down against where his right arm should have been ( _what have I done_ ). It was all he could do. Pain racked through his body. He couldn’t drag his eyes away from the mess at the centre of the circle.

That was him, he did that. Whatever that was it was not his mother. It was a monstrosity that he made and he was paying the price for it. How could he have been so stupid! Every power had limits, even quirks. Alchemy had to obey the law of equivalent exchange and Izuku had tried to create life. Not just any life as well, but one life in particular. There was nothing he could possibly have given that would have been enough. No, his toll was paid in his own blood and the limbs he no longer had.

It hurt so much!

Through his screams, he heard the front door burst open. Suddenly, his vision was filled by someone skidding to a halt in front of him. They put their hands on his shoulder and pressed down hard. They were speaking but all Izuku could glean through his haze was spiky blonde hair.

“K-Kacchan?”

There was someone else beside him. Smaller, but still spiky blonde hair. Wait, if that was Kacchan then who was the first person?

“Katsuki, go get help!”

The smaller one ran out of the room, shouting loudly, and Izuku’s focus snapped back to the first person. It was Auntie Mitsuki. Everything slammed down into him once again. Through the pain and terror he was feeling, Izuku felt a hot river of shame run through him. He hadn’t told the Bakugo’s what he had planned to do. He’d kept them in the dark, and only said he wanted to spend some time in his old house. What would have happened if they hadn’t come to check on him? Would they have found him dead on the floor, having bled out because of his own stupid mistake?

“I- I’m so-sorry. Please, A-Auntie,” he choked out.

“Shush, none of that now Izuku,” Mitsuki said.

There were more footsteps and somebody else entered his field of view. It was Mr Sugita with his big medical bag. Izuku always thought his quirk was cool.

“Ambulance is on it’s way,” he said.

Mr Sugita quickly found a few things in his bag. Auntie Mitsuki’s hands moved away for a moment to be replaced by something soft. Then the pressure was back.

“Keep as much pressure on that as you can. I’ve got his leg,” he said, “what happened here?”

“I’ve got no idea,” Mitsuki said.

Izuku felt Mr Sugita’s hands on what was left of his left leg. There was an uncomfortable tightness, like his leg had been squished in a vice. It sent pain shooting throughout his body. All Izuku could do was cry out, he had no energy left to squirm. The world around him started to grow darker. The pain slowly started lessening, almost ebbing away from him. The people around him got louder in response. Izuku was sure he even heard Kacchan call out to him.

Suddenly there were more people around him. Auntie Mitsuki disappeared from his view and Izuku couldn’t help but cry out for her. He didn’t want to be alone, not right now. He didn’t know these people. There were too many hands on him, all over the place. It was too much like those tendrils, those hands, the eye!

Izuku was lifted onto a stretcher and whisked out of the house. He barely managed to reach out when he caught sight of the Bakugo’s. Uncle Masaru had arrived at some point. He had his hands on Kacchan’s shoulders. The blonde boy was taking in everything happening with wide eyes, everything not quite sinking in for him. Auntie Mitsuki stood next to them. Her hands were completely red, with large smears on her knees as well. He met her eyes and whined, struggling to raise his arm to reach for her because he just wanted to be held, just like all he’d wanted was his mom.

Mitsuki was over in an instant, joining Izuku as he was hurried into the waiting ambulance. She held his hand – _hand, singular hand, just one hand, just one arm_ – as the paramedics worked around them.

“I’m sorry,” he kept repeating under his breath, not taking his eyes from Mitsuki.

She reassured him as best she could, but Izuku could plainly see the fear in her eyes. That was his doing. He’d made her scared, because he was too stupid to think things through.

The arrival at the hospital was a whirlwind of activity. With how hurried and seemingly frantic the paramedics were, and with Izuku’s condition, one would be forgiven for thinking there’d been a villain attack. Indeed, several people who saw them pass whispered about what they thought had happened and wondered if any more victims would be arriving.

There wouldn’t be, not that they would know that. Izuku was too out of it to tell. He could hear that people were talking all around him. Hands pressed down and needles pricked his skin. One of those made everything go black. He drifted away, floating in the darkness. His body felt like lead and was weightless at the same time. It was a worrying feeling. Izuku couldn’t help but imagine what existed around him in the darkness.

Would those hands grab him again? Drag him away somewhere and show him unspeakable things? Or would that eye open, looming over him and press down on him with that otherworldly pressure? In the void, Izuku wanted to scream, cry out in fear. He wanted to be somewhere real, somewhere where that nightmare creation he made wouldn’t plague his thoughts.

That wasn’t likely to happen though. Even though there was nothing around him, he still felt as though he was being watched. The monster of skin and bones in his living room was there, reaching out, staring, _judging…_

Beeping.

That was what Izuku heard when the darkness started receding. Like he was being dragged through water, awareness rushed into him. He opened his eyes and took in the ceiling above him. With the awareness came the pain. It was dull, distant, throbbing as though it merely wanted to remind him of its presence. His eyelids still felt heavy. Whatever burst of energy allowed him to open them in the first place left him and they fell shut.

He was back in darkness, only now he could hear what was going on around him. There was the beeping noise from a heart monitor and other people moving about the room. Did they know he was awake? Was he even awake if his eyes weren’t open? Would it be so bad if he went back to sleep? He would have done if he hadn’t heard voices.

“What happened to him?”

That was Auntie Mitsuki. She was here? Oh right, she rode in the ambulance with him.

“We’re not entirely sure. Could you tell us a bit more about how you found him?”

Who was that? A doctor?

“There’s not much to tell. We just heard screaming. The front door was locked so we busted it down and found him in the living room in a pool of his own blood, with that … thing.”

“Yes, well, I think the police are looking into that.”

“Doctor, please, is there anything you can do about his arm and leg?”

“I’m afraid not. The only good thing is that whatever did this removed those limbs with a clean cut. This means that, should he wish to, he could have prostheses attached in the future and there would be minimal risk of complications. Though it is weird.”

“What’s weird?”

Yeah, what’s weird?

“The cuts are almost impossibly clean. Normally you’d expect some kind of tearing or irregularity but not here. His arm and leg are just … not there. It’s almost like whatever did this had an exact amount it would take, nothing more, nothing less. Are you sure you don’t know what could have done this?”

“I mean, I’m not sure. There is his power, could that have done this?”

“Oh? His quirk? But his paperwork says that he doesn’t have one?”

“Well, technically he doesn’t but we’ve been trying to-”

“Then I’m afraid that cannot be what happened here. Hopefully the police investigation will shed some light about who did this to him.”

Auntie Mitsuki sighed. She sounded tired. Izuku didn’t like that. Auntie Mitsuki should be full of energy and life. She should be dragging his mom to the seventh store in a row to try and find that one accessory that just works. Why did she sound so sad? Oh right, because of him.

He opened his eyes again, only to find the room slightly different. Had some time passed? The bed he was lying in was now propped up and there was no one in the room with him. The walls were decorated with murals, happy places like a beach and a playground, probably to make it easier for a child to spend a lot of time here. It might have been nice but whatever they had been giving him was making him sluggish. Details filtered through his brain without making much of an impact. Even just the simple act of trying to remember where Auntie Mitsuki had gone was confusing.

Izuku ran his hands down is face, only for him to jolt. He held his hands out in front of him, only he didn’t, because there was only one hand. The beeping sped up slightly as he couldn’t help the shaking in his breaths. Turning his head to the right, he saw his shoulder, and that was it. The doctor was right. It was as though his arm was just … gone, not there any more. Likewise, he could see the rise in the blankets where his legs were, and saw how the left suddenly stopped just above the knee.

The door opened. The Bakugo’s were standing there, with Kacchan at the front. Izuku’s increasingly frantic eyes jumped to them, silently begging them to save him from his growing panic.

“Izu!”

“Izuku!”

They all rushed forward. Izuku reached out for them only to see a single arm in front of him. It was enough for Auntie Mitsuki and Kacchan to hold onto it, barely staving off the panic that coursed through him at the sight. Uncle Masaru was on his right side, one hand on his leg and the other on his shoulder. Izuku could barely look at him though, because that would mean having to look at what was missing.

“A-Auntie! I-I...”

“Oh buddy, you don’t need to apologise,” Auntie Mitsuki shushed him, gently running her fingers through his hair.

He did though! He had so much to apologise for!

“We’re just glad you’re ok,” Uncle Masaru said.

Kacchan squeezed the hand he was holding.

“Don’t do anything stupid like that again! You got that nerd!”

Despite the angry tone, Izuku heard the roughness in his voice. When he caught Kacchan’s eyes, they were redder than normal. All Izuku could do was nod, because there was no way in hell that he would be doing that again.

They stayed like that for a while. As Izuku calmed down, he felt himself retreating within himself. They weren’t talking about the obvious, the elephant in the room, even as they did everything they could to avoid it. Uncle Masaru moved around to the left side of the bed as Izuku could barely even look at his missing arm. He sat in such a way that it was easy to focus on him whenever his eyes drifted to his missing leg. As the panic receded, it was replaced by the crushing weight of guilt and shame. He could barely even look at them, even as he was desperate to, to make sure they didn’t disappear.

Minutes or hours could have passed and Izuku wouldn’t have really been able to tell. It was all a blur as he soaked in every moment of being in the Bakugo’s presence as he could. He only noticed that time had passed when there was a knock at the door and he realised that the room was lit differently. Glancing at the nearby window, he could see the last rays of sunshine just about sneaking past the nearby buildings.

The door to the room opened and in walked a man a long tan trench coat and a hat. Accompanying him was one of the nurses. The man took his hat off and smiled kindly at them.

“Good evening everyone. My name is Naomasa Tsukauchi. I’m with the Musutafu Police Department,” he said.

The Bakugo’s nodded at the man, while Izuku couldn’t help but avert his eyes. Was he being arrested? Was what he’d done been severe enough for that? He was the only one that got hurt, but it might have been suspicious enough to warrant punishment. He felt the detectives eyes land on him.

“I know that this has been a difficult experience, but I have some questions that I will need to ask Izuku about what exactly happened. Is that alright?”

Whether the question was directed at him or at one of the Bakugo’s, Izuku didn’t know. A gentle hand landed on his shoulder.

“Izuku, would you be able to answer some of the detective’s questions, so they can find out who did this to you?” Auntie Mitsuki said.

Izuku cringed, because they thought that somebody else was responsible. He nodded anyway, even as he felt her hand on his shoulder rubbing circles to calm him down.

“Thank you very much.”

He glanced up and saw Tsukauchi pulling out a notepad.

“Can you tell me what you were doing in the house? What do you remember?”

Izuku glanced up again. The detective was waiting for his answer. In the corner of his eye, he could see the Bakugo’s were waiting as well. He could try and lie, pretend that this was a villain attack, but he couldn’t do that. He was already been crushed by the guilt of it. There was no way he could pile on more. Besides, the only family he had left deserved to know what a disappointment he was.

“I … I just wanted to see her again. I just wanted to see me mom,” Izuku said, barely getting the words out around small sobs.

“Your mom?” Tsukauchi asked.

“But Izuku, your mom, she’s dead. You know that, right?” Uncle Masaru asked carefully.

“I know! I know she’s dead!” Izuku said, “I just wanted to see her again. I thought I could do it, but I was wrong.”

“Izuku, are you referring to the … body that was found in the house with you?” Tsukauchi asked.

Izuku winced, closing his eyes and nodded.

“A DNA test came back. It wasn’t entirely conclusive but there were elements which came back as a match to you. Can you explain that?”

Izuku winced again. He opened his eyes. Ignoring the detective, he sought out the Bakugo’s. They were all waiting to hear what he had to say. Seeing them sent tears rolling down his cheeks and he was unable to stop them.

“I was so _stupid!_ I thought I could … I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry!”

He saw the moment when realisation hit them, when they understood what he was trying to say registered in their minds. The detective spoke up, obviously realising there was something he was missing.

“Izuku, are you trying to say that you did something to that body?” he asked.

Izuku nodded. The explanation came tumbling out of his mouth through a series of sobs and cries. How he’d come up with the idea. How he’d gathered the ingredients needed. How he’d performed the transmutation. While he stopped short of telling them about the eye, the figure and the giant door, he told them about how it didn’t work. When he finished, he broke down, unable to stop the apologies.

Auntie Mitsuki took him into her arms and Izuku held onto her as tightly as he could. It wasn’t much, because despite his mind telling him to use both arms, he was painfully aware that he now only had one. He only had one, because of his stupidity, his naivete and his arrogance. As the rest of the Bakugo’s crowded around him, offering him all the comfort they could, a thought solidified within him.

This was his mistake to fix. He needed to make it better, however he could. More importantly though, he needed to make sure that nobody else had to suffer like this.

He would do whatever he could to make sure nobody else made the same mistake he did.

_In the present…_

“Oh right. That.”

Izuku hadn’t even considered that, because of Katsuki’s many powerful explosions, his costume would have taken enough of a hit to show his metal limbs. Really, he was kicking himself in hindsight. After all the care he’d taken to not show his classmates, they get revealed in such a … public setting.

It’s not that Izuku was ashamed of his prostheses. Over the years, he’d come to grudgingly accept them. They were a reminder of what he had done. They were his lesson about why he needed to be a hero, so that he could help others not make the same mistake he did. That being said, he’d prefer not to flaunt them. For all the advancements that had been made in the advent of quirks, with how the standards for what constitutes a normal human body had shifted to account for the multitude of mutations that existed, there still remained the usual insults for people who looked different. Izuku had had enough of that for being technically quirkless, he didn’t want to get it for his limbs as well.

Which is why he was progressively getting more and more annoyed with the looks from nearly everyone in his class. They ranged from shocked to amazed to worried to concerned, sometimes in a rolling continuum in the same person. The worst was All Might, who kept opening his mouth as though he wanted to speak but didn’t. After the third false start, Izuku rolled his eyes.

“So, the lesson?”

All Might opened his mouth again but still didn’t speak. Honestly, they were still in class! From the corner of his eye, he could see Katsuki’s glare getting stronger and stronger, fixed on All Might. It probably wasn’t helping the situation so Izuku elbowed him.

“So how’d we do?” Izuku asked.

“Young Midoriya, are you sure you...” All Might cut himself off.

Izuku gave him a very pointed look, daring him to finish that question. He put his hands in his pocket and projected an aura of complete nonchalance, as though nothing about this situation was out of the ordinary.

“Y-yes All Might, we have completed the task,” Iida said, “we would like feedback on our performance.”

Iida’s voice wasn’t its usual loud seriousness, but it was an admirable attempt. Despite him frequently glancing back at Izuku, he tried to play things off as normal.

“Right!” Uraraka said, too enthusiastically to be normal but playing along anyway, “I want to hear what you think.”

The silence that followed was stilted and ever so slightly awkward but Izuku appreciated the attempt nonetheless. At the very least Katsuki didn’t look quite so close to murdering someone. One by one, the rest of the class turned their attention to All Might.

“Right,” All Might murmured before suddenly announcing, “alright! Time to review this combat trial!”

His voice was louder and more bombastic than it usually was. Jiro winced slightly at the forced volume. Fortunately, as All Might continued speaking, he returned to his usual manner.

“Now then, you all did very well but the MVP of that match was young Iida,” All Might said.

Izuku raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, not showing his surprise too much. He had no way of knowing how well Iida did since he never actually saw him.

“Really? Shouldn’t it be someone from the winning team?” Asui asked.

“Not necessarily. Can anyone tell me why?” All Might asked.

Yaoyorozu raised her hand.

“I believe I know why.”

All Might gestured for her to continue.

“There were positives and negatives to all their performances. Midoriya’s plan seemed to start and end at stopping Bakugo. Likewise, Bakugo seemed to only want to fight Midoriya. It is clear that they are skilled, but their battle left little room for teamwork, though I will admit that Midoriya did what he could to assist Uraraka.”

“Uraraka was able to find the weapon, but she got distracted and revealed herself too early. Her attacks that followed were too simple and easy to counter, until Midoriya was able to provide her with ammunition, at which point she quickly adapted and was able to win the exercise.”

“Iida, on the other hand, attempted work with his teammate. When that didn’t happen, he worked to fulfil his role as best he could. He came up with a good strategy to beat Uraraka and was able to keep the weapon away from her for a long time. It was only the distraction and ammunition that Midoriya provided that allowed Uraraka to beat him. Thus, I believe that Iida deserves to be MVP.”

Izuku found himself nodding along to the well reasoned, if very blunt, analysis. All Might seemed to be doing the same.

“Well argued Yaoyorozu. That is mostly what I wanted to say,” he said before turning to the four of them, “is there anything else you’d like to add?”

Izuku shrugged.

“I just knew that between me and Uraraka, I’d probably have the best chance at beating Kacchan. Whether that was right or not, that’s what I was thinking,” he said, before turning to Uraraka, “sorry, no offence.”

Uraraka looked him up and down, taking in the state of his costume.

“None taken,” she said shakily.

All Might nodded. When neither Iida nor Uraraka added anything, he turned to Katsuki.

“And young Bakugo? I’d like to hear your reasoning for using the attack you did.”

“Give the nerd time and space to think, he’ll come up with a million different ways to beat you,” Katsuki said, “so I attacked him with everything I had as quickly as I could, but I’m not an idiot All Might. If I’d have known the blast would have been that big, there’s no way in hell I’d have fired it.”

“You’re probably not used to having that much sweat to ignite so you misjudged how big the explosion would be,” Izuku said.

Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“Obviously,” he said.

“Might want to ask for smaller ones when they get fixed, at least until you get used to using them,” Izuku suggested.

Katsuki rolled his eyes again with a small shrug, which automatically translated in Izuku’s head as ‘I’ll think about it but I’m not going to say it out loud.’ All Might clapped his hands together.

“Well, after that exciting start, it’s onto the next match!”

The hero team was Todoroki and Shoji, with Ojiro and Hagakure as the villains. Izuku found himself drifting closer to the screens. He could feel his classmates eyes on him and knew they were dying to ask questions, but he ignored them all, allowing himself to be engrossed in the large screens in front of him. Katsuki joined him, but groaned when he saw Izuku pull out a small notebook.

“Of course you’ve got one of those.”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

The match began, and ended shortly after. Honestly, Ojiro and Hagakure would have likely done well in their roles against any other team. It was unfortunate that Todoroki overwhelmed them easily with his ice. In the observation room below the building they were in, the class shivered from the cold, while Izuku barely suppressed a hiss of pain. The cold always made his prosthesis bite against his skin, and the sudden drop from Todoroki was more than enough of a shock to hurt. All Might announced the hero teams victory.

“Too bad they didn’t get to do much,” Izuku said, “Hagakure would have been a nightmare to deal with.”

Katsuki grunted.

“Tail gave up too easily,” he said.

“True,” Izuku agreed, “even though his feet were stuck, Todoroki walked right past him. He could have tried for a grapple or something. If he could have taken Todoroki out, the ice would have made it so much harder for Shoji to do anything.”

The class continued like that, with Izuku staring at the screens. He was enamoured with the quirks he was seeing. His classmates all had such varied abilities that he couldn’t wait to see how they would grow. His thoughts spewed out of him as he wrote down his observations.

Kirishima’s hardening could probably be improved through muscle conditioning and repeated impacts. Sato should probably be more selective with when he powers up. Aoyama definitely shouldn’t get so distracted by damage to his cape.

He was particularly enamoured by Yaoyorozu’s quirk. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but when he saw her suddenly constructing elaborate metal barricades out of nowhere, his interest was peaked. Is that alchemy? Doesn’t look like it, so how’s she making that stuff? Wait, did she just pull that beam out of her leg? What’s she using for raw materials? He had a long list of questions he wanted to ask her, but when Yaoyorozu finished the exercise and returned for her review, she took over her own feedback session. He didn’t get the chance to ask anything before the lesson was over, and they were standing back at the entrance to Ground Beta.

“Well now,” All Might said, “you gave it your all and given me quite a lot to work with.”

Izuku agreed. He’d completely filled the mini-notebook he had with his costume.

“Class dismissed. Go get changed and head on home.”

All Might turned with a pose.

“Now watch as a pro leaves like he’s got somewhere to be!”

In a burst of wind, All Might raced off. By the time the dust settled, the hero was a speck at the end of the path leading away. The class was left suitably in awe. Eventually, they pulled themselves together and headed back to the changing rooms.

Izuku was tempted to change in a stall. It was the end of class, so changing back into their uniforms would be more leisurely than before, and everyone had more reason to pay attention to him. Sure enough, Izuku could feel a few pairs of eyes on him as he pulled off the remains his long red coat. Whenever he looked to see who it was, they always quickly looked away. Not wanting to drag this out any longer, Izuku turned around with a heavy sigh, gaining the attention of the other boys in the room. Not that that was difficult.

“Look, I’m only going to say this once. Yes, my arm and leg are metal prostheses. No, I’m not going to tell you what happened. Now could you please stop acting like I’m fragile or would you like me to kick your ass like I did to Kacchan?”

Izuku ignored the angry shout that earned him as he took in the looks on the other boys faces. He was pleased to see that they looked somewhat guilty for staring.

“Sorry man,” Kirishima said.

“Yeah, we didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Sato said.

“I don’t doubt that you could kick our asses anyway,” Kaminari said.

“Not to draw too much attention to it,” Ojiro said, “but it’s not everyday you see prostheses like those. I guess we got kind of curious about it.”

“I understand that. I know they kind of stand out,” Izuku said, waving away their comments, “just please respect that I have my own reasons for not wanting to talk about them.”

“Indeed!” Iida said, already in his uniform and gesturing sharply, “we should all keep our questions to ourselves. If Midoriya wishes to tell us more, that will be his decision!”

Izuku raised an eyebrow at Iida’s excessive behavious. Judging by the glances he was getting from the other boys, they didn’t know how to react to it either. They all got back to changing. Izuku was one of the first finished, so he chatted with some of the other quick changers while waiting for Katsuki.

Izuku left school that day feeling good. Uraraka and Iida joined them as they walked to the station. He’d gotten to fight Katsuki, had lessons with pro hero’s, got to beat Katsuki, possibly made some friends, got to kick Katsuki’s ass. All in all, a very good day.

“Tell us about All Might!”

“What’s All Might like as a teacher?”

“Give a comment about All Might!”

Izuku could see the crowd of reporters outside the gates of UA. The news that All Might was a teacher had spread quickly and now the paparazzi had descended. Izuku understood that the press were a part of hero life, but that didn’t mean he wanted to interact with them right now. He considered trying to use one of the other entrances to the campus, but no doubt there would be people there as well. Anything to get a story. Beside him, Katsuki was also eyeing the crowd, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

“What did Auntie Mitsuki call the paparazzi?” Izuku asked, his tone light.

“Vultures,” Katsuki said gruffly.

A few UA students were being harassed. Most of them managed to avoid it by claiming to be from other courses. Only claimed, because Izuku was sure that kid with the pure black skin was in the other heroics class. It was a good enough strategy to avoid the worst of it, he supposed, though there was no way Katsuki would do it.

“Does Four Eyes have to do that to everybody?” Katsuki said.

Izuku looked back at the crowd and spotted Iida. In typical fashion, he was answering the questions the reporters asked, though probably with a lot more words than any of them wanted. For all they said they wanted comments, what they really wanted was sound bites. Still, this was the perfect opportunity.

“Go, now,” Izuku said.

Katsuki grumbled something about not ordering him around but he still started walking anyway. Izuku hung back, walking in step behind Katsuki. They pushed through the press, who were too bored from Iida’s lecture to really react. Unfortunately they recovered quickly, likely latching onto the person who wasn’t talking at them.

“Hey you! Do you have lessons with All Might?”

“Have you learned a lot from him?”

Katsuki’s unimpressed glare was enough to get the reporters in front to move, but it did nothing to stop the microphones being shoved in their faces and it did nothing to stop the questions. Luckily for him, Katsuki was a lot more noticeable than Izuku was and so he drew most of the attention.

“I know you,” one of the reporters said, “you were that cute blond kid from the Jeanist commercial a few years ago.”

Katsuki’s hackles rose.

“What did you say!”

He tried to stop and turn around, probably to tear that reporter a new one, but Izuku had a hand placed firmly on his back and was shoving him forward.

“Keep walking,” Izuku said.

As they passed Iida, Izuku reached out and grabbed his bag, pulling him backwards away from the few reporters he still held captive. The tall teen stumbled slightly but still followed Izuku’s tugging.

“Midoriya, I was in the middle of talking to-”

“They weren’t listening Iida. If it’s not twenty words or less, they don’t care,” Izuku said.

“Oh.”

They made it through the gates, passing Aizawa. Izuku was sure he heard one of them call him scruffy and suppressed a snort. Iida fell into step beside Izuku now that they were through the school gates. He stopped pushing Katsuki who walked to the side but slightly ahead of them.

“I’m surprised anyone remembers that commercial you did,” Izuku commented.

Katsuki groaned.

“Don’t bring that up nerd!”

“You were the one that had a modelling career.”

“No, I was the one the hag paraded around in front of camera for _one_ commercial, not a career. You just managed to get out of it somehow.”

“I can’t think why a casting director wouldn’t want to hire me,” Izuku said.

“Wait, was Bakugo a child model?” Iida asked.

Katsuki whirled around, palms sparking.

“It was _one_ time! Tell anyone and you’re dead!”

“Tell anyone what?”

Without realising it, they’d made it to the classroom. Most people ignored them but Aoyama and Ashido, who sat closest to the door, looked on with interest. Katsuki turned his glare on Izuku, who simply held his hands up.

“Don’t look at me. You were the one shouting.”

Katsuki continued glaring for a moment before he stomped over to his desk, grumbling what Izuku was sure were obscenities under his breath. Izuku decided to take the long way around to his desk this morning, walking around the entire class. Katsuki’s grumbles continued, petering out as the minutes passed until he had more or less calmed down just as homeroom was about to begin.

Aizawa entered and the whole room went silent. The man looked more annoyed than usual. Izuku didn’t blame him. Last he saw, Aizawa was dealing with the press and he got the feeling that the man usually tried to avoid them at all cost. Aizawa took the podium and looked out over the class. When he was satisfied with whatever it was he was looking for, he looked down at a pile of papers.

“I went over the footage from your battle trials yesterday, as well as the reviews you did with All Might. Generally your performances were not bad for it being your first time fighting with your quirks. We’ll definitely have a lot we can improve.”

“Bakugo, I’ve received your request for a costume adjustment and passed it along to the support department. I’m glad you realise that your attack was not appropriate for the exercise and took steps to adjust. This isn’t a formal reprimand but you need to be aware of the inherent danger that your quirk poses,” he said before addressing the class, “that goes for all of you as well.”

He then turned to address Izuku.

“Midoriya, I apologise that circumstances forced personal information to be released like that. Was there any damage?” he asked.

“Not really,” Izuku said, “nothing that my usual maintenance wouldn’t fix.”

“Still, I realise that you’re skilled but we’ve set you up with an appointment to have new prostheses fitted this weekend. They should be easier to fight with. We’ve already confirmed it with your guardians,” Aizawa said.

Izuku nodded. Aizawa then continued like that, making general comments to the class as a whole or more specific comments to different students. Izuku was happy that most of them were things he’d already noticed the previous day, but was pleased when Aizawa pointed out a few things he’d missed. Of course Asui could have scouted the bombs location from the outside of the building, it was so obvious!

“Now, onto something that could determine your fate here at UA,” Aizawa said.

The drop in temperature in the room was almost palpable.

“You need to pick a class representative,” Aizawa said.

There was a beat before the class erupted with noises of relief. People clamoured for the role. Izuku kept his mouth shut, doing his best to pick out his classmates reasoning for wanting to be the class rep while also thinking about it himself. He had no intention of doing it, but there were a few he thought might be good. Asui seemed sensible but he wasn’t sure if she could control the entire class. Iida definitely had the presence to be the class rep, but he was too rigid. Still, both of them were better options than the voice he just heard calling out about making the girls skirts shorter.

“Enough! There is only one way we can do this! We must all vote for who we wish to be the representative!” Iida called out.

The room quietened down, though a few expressed their doubts. Iida was quick to reassure them. Slips of paper were handed out. Izuku wrote down Iida’s name and put it into the basket. Iida took them to the front and counted them, writing down everyone’s totals as he did so.

“It looks like we have a tie between myself and Midoriya,” Iida announced.

Izuku jolted, having not been paying attention. He somehow had three votes, the same as Iida, with Yaoyorozu coming next with two votes. Everyone else had one or zero votes.

“We should now decide which of us is the rep and who is the vice-rep,” Iida said.

“Well that’s easy. I don’t want to be either, so Iida can be the rep and Yaoyorozu the vice,” Izuku, cutting Iida off before he could prepare new paper.

“You shouldn’t make that decision so hastily Midoriya. After all, there are obviously those in the class who wish you to lead us,” Iida said.

“I appreciate that, really I do, but trust me when I say that I don’t deserve it,” Izuku said, unconsciously clenching his right hand, “maybe next year or the year after I will, but not now. I don’t have the right to lead anyone.”

Katsuki glanced behind him to glare at Izuku.

“That was years ago Izu.”

“Maybe, but I’m not ready,” Izuku said.

“This is a waste of time,” Aizawa said, emerging from his sleeping bag once more, “Midoriya, is this your final decision?”

Izuku nodded.

“Then Iida will be the class representative and Yaoyorozu the vice,” Aizawa announced, shooing Iida back to his seat so they could get on with the rest of homeroom.

Izuku knew his friends would have more to say to him, but for now he was glad with his choice. Given how he’d acted in the past when doing what he believed was right, there was no way he could drag anyone else into that. He’d been lucky that he was the only one who’d had to pay the price before. If he could spare his classmates that, then he wouldn’t be their rep. Maybe in the future, but definitely not now. Besides, they’re only first years in high school. It’s not like they’d need much leading.

“I still think you were too hasty with giving up the title of class rep.”

It was lunch time and sure enough, just as he’d predicted, Izuku was being grilled by Iida and Uraraka about why he didn’t want to be class rep.

“I just don’t think I’d be a good fit for it,” Izuku said.

“I disagree,” Iida said, “you realised there was something else to the entrance exam besides beating the robots. Regardless of whether you knew or not, prioritising saving others is exactly what a hero is supposed to do, which is why I voted for you. While I appreciate that I have the position, I think it would have been better if you’d given it a chance first.”

“Iida, you’re thinking too much into this. It’s like you said, just because someone wants it, doesn’t mean they can do it. I don’t want it, which would only make me less effective at doing it. You obviously wanted it and you have the right kind of personality for it. That’s why I voted for you,” Izuku said.

“I mean, I voted for Midoriya as well but I agree with what he said,” Uraraka chimed in, “Iida definitely makes himself known, which you kind of need to do if you’re gonna be in charge.”

“Wait, so if you two voted for me, and I didn’t vote for myself, who was the third?” Izuku asked.

The others weren’t listening though. Uraraka had made a comment about Iida being perfect for the role because he wore glasses. Now that he’d had a chance to settle into school, Izuku realised there was something about Iida that was familiar. When the boy took of his glasses to clean them, he took in all the details of his face.

“Is everything alright Midoriya?”

“Yeah, just, there’s something familiar about you Iida. I can’t put my finger on it,” Izuku said.

“Oh, maybe you bumped into each other before the entrance exam?” Uraraka suggested.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’ve heard the name Iida before, or seen someone who looks like you. You’re not related to a hero, aren’t you?”

Iida seemed taken aback. He gave them a small smile.

“I had tried not to make it obvious to avoid special treatment,” Iida said.

“Wait, so you are!” Izuku said.

“Have you heard of the turbo hero Ingenium?”

Izuku and Uraraka nodded.

“He’s my older brother.”

Everything clicked in Izuku’s head. Of course they were related. The name, the face, even the engine quirk. Ingenium was an amazing hero who managed a large agency with many sidekicks. His engines were in his arms, meaning he couldn’t get to quite the speeds that Iida could likely reach, but it gave him greater agility and turning ability. He was so cool!

Iida chuckled at Izuku’s muttering spree and smiled proudly.

“Indeed, Ingenium is a great hero who honours the hero code. He works diligently to protect the people and uphold the law. Those who serve under him thrive in his command. To me, he is the model of what makes a true hero and he inspired my dream to become a hero myself. I can only hope I can be half as good a hero as him.”

Izuku couldn’t help smiling. For all that Iida spoke passionately, nothing had been as genuine as when he’d talked about his brother. It was nice to see the uptight relax. Uraraka teased him about it, but Izuku could tell that she was just as happy as he was.

The moment didn’t last long. A loud, blaring alarm sounded over head. Izuku winced slightly from the noise. There was a rush as people jumped up from their seats and ran towards the exits. Izuku looked to the other two but neither Iida nor Uraraka seemed to know what was going on.

“Excuse me, what is this alarm for?” Iida asked, catching an upperclassman as he passed.

“Somebody’s broken into the school. This hasn’t happened in the three years I’ve been here.”

As the upperclassman left, Uraraka tugged him to his feet.

“Come on, we’ve gotta go!”

They headed towards the mass of people surrounding the main exit. Izuku immediately broke off from the others. There was no way he was going near that. He’d be crushed! He tried stopping them as well, but a new tide of people washed over them, separating Izuku from Iida and Uraraka. He lost them in crowd as he bustled and shoved about. Surrounded by enormous people, Izuku felt distinctly claustrophobic. He needed to get out of there before he got hurt.

He caught sight of a corridor ahead of him, leading away from the panicked students. Izuku pushed his way through, breaking out of the crowd. This corridor probably didn’t lead directly to the evacuation point so everyone else wasn’t using it. Ideally Izuku would get more people to follow him and reduce the numbers in the crowd, but with all the panic there was no way anyone would even hear him.

Izuku followed his mental map of UA. The school was built like a maze, but he was pretty sure he was going in the direction of the evacuation zone. He rounded a corner when he felt it. It was weird, like faint pressure in his chest. Izuku stopped, trying to figure out what it was. He was calm so this wasn’t panic or fear. So what was it, and why did it feel so familiar? The pressure spiked and Izuku saw red flickering lights coming from around the corner ahead of him. Wait, was this feeling … was someone using alchemy?

Izuku ran forward. Was there somebody else in UA who could use alchemy? He unconsciously readied himself, hands inching closer together as he rounded the corner … only to find a student, curled up against the wall and crying. She looked up when he stopped. She had short brown wavy hair and pale yellow eyes, which were slightly red as tears ran down her cheeks. She seemed to calm down slightly when she saw him.

“Are you alright?” Izuku asked carefully.

She pulled out a tissue and wiped her face.

“I’m sorry. I’m not very good with crowds and then every started panicking. I just ran!” the girl said, her voice still shaky and upset, “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Izuku stood down and offered her a hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. As he did so, the alarm stopped.

“Well it looks like whatever it is is over. I guess we can head back to lunch now or something,” Izuku said.

“I think I’ll just go to my next class. I don’t think I’m feeling up to going back to the cafeteria,” the girl said.

“Do you need some company?” Izuku asked.

The girl shook her head, smiling gently.

“No, but thank you for offering.”

She walked away, leaving Izuku to his thoughts in the corridor. He tried not to think about what he’d felt earlier. It reminded him so much of doorway he’d seen. That pressure was linked to alchemy in his head, but he had to be the only one in this school who could use it, otherwise his teachers wouldn’t have been so shocked by him on the first day. He wasn’t sure what else it could be though if not alchemy? Maybe some kind of quirk?

He was pulled from his thoughts by an announcement to head to his next class. Content to leave it for now and come back to it later, Izuku headed for the 1A classroom. He passed by an open door. Peaking inside, Izuku saw desks with computers as well as comfier sofas and what looked like a coffee machine. Was that the teachers lounge? Izuku shrugged, filing it away in his brain for later.

“Hey Midoriya, you missed Emergency Exit!” Kirishima said as soon as he walked into the classroom.

Izuku was very confused, especially when Iida ran his hand down his face and groaned. Uraraka bounced up to him and launched into the story of how Iida had calmed everyone down by telling them that it was only the press. He’d landed above the door to the cafeteria to announce it, which inadvertently made him look like the emergency exit sign. Izuku chuckled.

“Good job Iida. I knew you were the right choice for class rep,” he said.

“Thank you Midoriya.”

That got the rest of the class to cheer for their class rep. The noise stopped as soon as Aizawa opened the door. Everyone was in their seats, ready and waiting, as the man strolled to the podium. If he’d looked annoyed this morning because of the press, there was now a typhoon of rage swirling behind his expressionless face. The teacher checked in with them, asking how they handled the alarm, and the rage seemed to dim slightly when he learned about what Iida did.

“Unorthodox, but I can’t fault the effectiveness. Good work Iida.”

Iida preened with the praise. Aizawa launched into their lesson, introducing them to hero laws and ethics. Despite the somewhat dry nature of the topic, Izuku liked the lesson. As it was only the introductory lesson, they didn’t go into much detail. Aizawa kept it surprisingly open ended as he led them through the reasoning which led to the laws around quirk use and the various hero ethics codes which had been devised over the years. There was plenty of discussion and the class almost seemed to relax in the tutelage of the strict teacher, only to have the rug pulled out when he assigned them homework. Izuku was sure Aizawa enjoyed the groans he received in response.

The day ended without further incident. The press had all been cleared out so there was no issue leaving the school. Still, Izuku didn’t miss the presence of several teachers by the main gate as he passed through it. Nothing seemed wrong with it, but they were probably just being extra careful. The press had to get in somehow. That question joined the others in his head as he made it home and began working on Aizawa’s essay. They were only nearing the end of their first week at UA, but it was already more interesting than Izuku thought it would be. Who knows what lay in store for them in the future.

_Elsewhere…_

The bar was mostly quiet. A man made of mist wearing a shirt and waistcoat was behind the bar cleaning glasses. Another man was sat at a stool, pressing buttons on a handheld game console. He was thin, with light blue hair. Rather morbidly, he wore a human hand which covered most of his face.

“Kurogiri, how much longer?” the man whined.

“Calm yourself Tomura Shigaraki,” the misty man said, “he should be back soon.”

As he said this, the door opened and in walked a girl. She was dressed in a school uniform and had short brown wavy hair. She saw the state of Shigaraki and smirked.

“Miss me?”

Shigaraki growled.

“You’re late.”

The girl laughed. She leaned heavily against the bar, a challenging look on her face.

“I’d be here a lot faster but apparently Kurogiri would attract too much attention if he opened a gate for me. Never mind that alleyways exist, but I guess the great Tomura Shigaraki wouldn’t know such things.”

Shigaraki got to his feet, hands twitching.

“Know your place you NPC! Did you at least finish your mission?”

The girl snarled.

“Who do you think you are to look down on me like that?”

The tension in the room spiked intensely as Shigaraki and the girl stared each other down. It was only broken as someone in the room clapped. From the shadows of one of the corner booths, a woman appeared. She was dressed in a long black dress, exposing the top of her chest, with gloves that went up past her elbows. Her long dark hair fell down to the middle of her back.

“Don’t worry about him Envy. He was just getting antsy that you forgot to check in, that’s all,” she said.

Envy back off slightly. Her snarl turned back into a smirk.

“So you did miss me!”

Before Shigaraki could react, Kurogiri interjected.

“Did you manage to get the information we need Envy?” he asked the girl.

“Sure did, as if there was any doubt.”

Shigaraki growled again before turning to the woman.

“Is my toy ready yet?”

The woman smiled wryly at him.

“It should be done within the next few days. When it’s ready, we’ll be able to move forward with the plan,” she said.

Shigaraki smiled, wide and demented though hidden beneath the hand on his face.

“Yes, when it’s ready, we can tear down the symbol of peace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> It's been a little while since I've updated this. Christmas and New Year happened so I decided to take a little break.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this. Any feedback is appreciated.


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